Path of the Dragon
by riptocs
Summary: When Kenshin is orphaned as a young boy by a rogue Salamence, will Hiko Seijirou be able to mold him into a successful Pokemon trainer? Rated T for violence.
1. Tragedy

A/N: This is my first Rurouni Kenshin fic and I thought it would be nice to see a PokemonxRK crossover.

Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin or Pokemon. If I did, I would probably bring much pain and angst to characters on both sides.

Chapter 1: Tragedy

Six year old Himura Kenshin watched carefully as his mother rubbed a batch of soothing oil into the Dragonair's skin. "It makes the scales shine brighter," she had told him, "Dragon Pokémon are really hard to groom because you need to get the chemicals just right in order to make the scales glisten like a starry night."

The Dragonair sighed contently and glanced at her master, Seijuro Hiko, before closing her eyes again under the woman's soft ministrations. The blue orb on her neck glowed slightly in relaxation when the woman started a deep massage on her neck.

"Arigatou, Himura-sama. Your assistance is appreciated and well worth the travel from Johto. Hina has been stressed lately and she sure seems to enjoy the massage. I only wish Raidon would be able to enjoy these sorts of treatments. But lately, especially with Hina in the mood she's in, he's been quite difficult to handle."

"By all means, Hiko-san, helping Pokémon to relax is what we do. We once handled a Dragonite inflicted with Beedrill poisoning that refused to be treated even by Nurse Joy. Raidon is your Salamence, right? After I am done with Hina, I can probably do something for him too. Kenshin, go get your father and ask him to bring Hisa and Yasuo, okay?"

Kenshin looked at her through his red bangs and put down the top his mother had recently given to him for his birthday. He nodded complacently, curious to know what his mother planned to do with an Alakazam and a Tyranitar.

"Oi! Tou-san!" Kenshin stumbled through the Pokemart's doors, out of breath. "Mother has requested you to come to the groomer's shop with Hisa and Yasuo."

"Ah, another unruly Pokémon just waiting to be groomed?" The man's hair was red as well, but not as bright or as long as his son's. He was also quite short for a man, no more than five and a half feet.

"Hai. She mentioned a Salamence belonging to Hiko-san." Kenshin grinned at the prospect of seeing a real live Salamence. He didn't get to join his mother at the groomer's shop that often, only when he wasn't needed to help his father with restocking the mart or run errands with his mother. The groomer's shop was in the outskirts of Viridian City while the Pokemart was right in the middle.

"I see. Wait a moment and let me get them." Kenshin's father closed the cash register and made his way to the back of the store. "No! Hisa! Wrong shelf! The potions go on the right and the status ailments go on the left! The Pokéball go in the back!" The Alakazam was attempting to help restock the shelves, but apparently still hadn't mastered reading shelf labels. Although he was frustrated, Kenshin's father didn't really yell. He never yells, only grins and pets his Pokémon like always, grateful for at least the effort to help.

"Hisa, Yasuo, we're going with Kenshin to the groomer's shop to help with a wild one. I'm closing up shop." He closed up the cash register and headed out the door with the two Pokémon.

"Easy, Raidon. Good, steady." Kenshin's mother attempted to coax the Salamence to calm down while it was held in the Alakazam's psychic grasp. Even though Hiko was reluctant to let his Salamence be groomed, Kenshin's mother had obviously insisted. But the relative calmness brought on by the psychic attack didn't last long at all, for Hiko's Salamence was trained well in battle and could shake it off. Instead of attacking physically, as was his first instinct, the large Salamence opened his mouth and let out a large stream of fire.

Thankfully, Yasuo reacted quickly and stopped Kenshin's father from being burnt to a crisp by a Flamethrower by inserting his body between them. The Fire type attack had little affect on the Rock/Dark type Pokémon and the Tyranitar came out of the attack relatively unscathed. But the unexpected came when the Salamence broke free of Hisa's psychic hold completely when the Alakazam took her eyes off it in an instant to check on her trainer. Raidon roared and its tail smashed a shelf on the wall.

"Raidon! No!" Hiko reached for a Pokeball to bring out Hina to calm the raging dragon down, but it was too late. Raidon crunched on Yasuo's shoulder and crushed Hisa's legs under his own massive ones, leaving her in too much pain to retaliate with a psychic attack. Unable to bear seeing his Pokémon hurt so badly, Kenshin's father pushed his son back towards the wall and approached the Salamence himself.

Hisa's legs looked like they would be permanently damaged; multiple compact fractures bleeding from the bones sticking through the skin and her legs took on an eerily flat look. Yasuo wasn't faring much better against the Salamence, having been struck with another Flamethrower, and Ice beam, and a Dragon Breath. The biggest hit, however, came from Frustration.

Hiko sent out Hina and after seconds of conversing, Raidon shot an Ice Beam at the Dragonair. The Ice Beam hit the wall and the force shook the shelves on that wall, spilling various beauty and massage products on the ground and breaking glass bottles of perfume. The strong mixed scents only enraged the Salamence more and the times Hiko attempted to withdraw him into his Pokéball, but he only broke out again.

Kenshin was forced to cover his eyes once the scene became too much for him to take in. He heard a crash and his mother's screams which gave him just enough of a push to sprint out of the shop in search of help. It seemed like he ran too far too quickly until he saw Officer Jenny on her motorcycle. He quickly explained the situation to the police officer and she called in backup on her radio as she rode over with Kenshin in the side car.

All Kenshin knew was that Officer Jenny wouldn't let him go inside the shop. He wanted to see his parents, but the only ones who came out of the shop were Hiko-san and Officer Jenny. But he saw she was crying, so he suspected something was wrong. He asked for his parents almost constantly for hours after the event, even when he was brought to the police station for questioning although he didn't see anything after he left.

"Kenshin, the others don't want to tell you but you should know what happened so you can decide your future." Hiko sat next to the small boy who was curled up on a chair after hours of torment.

"Where are my parents?" He asked, for what seemed like the thousandth time that day.

"Dead. They can't come back, Kenshin. Raidon killed them and I was forced to kill him trying to stop him." Hiko was expecting the boy to go into shock or at least start crying for his parents, but perhaps he had suspected the truth all along.

"And the Pokémon? Hisa and Yasuo?"

"Dead too. Killed by Raidon." Hiko could barely hide his own sorrow, that a Pokemon he raised could cause such destruction and loss of life. "Kenshin…I'm so sorry."

The boy looked up and stared at Hiko through his bright red bangs. "I'm not mad at you or Raidon. He's a Pokémon and battling is what they do, I guess. It's not his fault."

Hiko was amazed that a boy so young was able to let go of his anger towards Pokémon with the reasoning that they couldn't help it. At that moment, Officer Jenny walked up to the pair and paused at the sight of the large man talking to Kenshin. "Kenshin's parents were his only relatives and the orphanage is overrun due to conflicts with Team Rocket…"

"I'll be taking him with me. Raidon was my Pokemon and it's my responsibility."

Officer Jenny glanced at Kenshin and the boy looked up and nodded. "Very well, I'll draw up the paperwork."

_Tou – father_

_Arigatou – thank you_

(A/N: I know it can be a little confusing with all of the nicknames, but please try to bear with me. R&R!)


	2. Arrival

Chapter 2: Arrival

This boy was going to be the end of him, at least send him into another few sake binges. Kenshin had barely spoken throughout the travel back to Blackthorn City and seemed to quiver in fear at the sight of any Pokémon larger than a Houndour. Hiko didn't even consider bringing out any of his dragon Pokémon for fear of the boy's reaction.

At diner in the Goldenrod City Pokémon Center, he ordered some beef stew and some fresh sake. He noticed the boy smile a little bit when the waitress gave him a cold glass of MooMoo Milk and couldn't help grinning himself. Who knew anything besides a jug of sake could make the man smile?

"Oi, Kenshin, eat up. You want to have time to settle in to your new home, don't you?"

Kenshin started on the broth, but he didn't touch the meat or vegetables. When Hiko questioned him about this, the boy said he just didn't feel well. Hiko shrugged, assuming the boy was just tired from the journey. He ordered some rice balls to go in case Kenshin got hungry later and left a hefty tip as thanks for the waitress for getting the boy to smile.

"Kenshin, I pulled out your futon and you can wear one of my shirts tonight. Tomorrow I'll pick up your old clothes from postage; Officer Jenny sent them by Fearow Express."

As Kenshin went into his room to change, Hiko noticed the boy's physique wasn't quite normal. He seemed more pale than usual and his steps were tentative, as if he were about to collapse. He would have to keep an eye on the boy tonight; he knew the travel from Viridian City to Saphron City with little to no sleep would be hard on the boy, but he would have let the boy ride on Hina if he wasn't so jumpy around large Pokémon.

At least he slept well enough on the train, but the travel to Blackthorn City was just as harsh due to the winter coming in and the trouble from Rockets at Goldenrod. Hiko's thoughts were interrupted when he heard a thump and glanced over to see his ward collapsed on the floor.

"Kenshin!" Hiko quickly rose and approached the young boy, gathering the slight frame in his arms and took note of his body temperature. He cursed himself for not considering the young boy's vulnerability to illness in the ruthless winter temperatures.

Hiko clumsily went through the motions of preparing the boy for bed, removing the boy's damp clothes that were soaked with snow and sweat and dressing him in an oversized shirt. After he put Kenshin in the extra futon and covered him up with all the spare blankets he owned, Hiko tried to make a meager fire. He was quick to admit he was helpless without his Pokemon; he usually used Fudo, his Charizard, to light fires.

After almost a half hour of struggling with twigs and kindling, Hiko managed to start a small fire and set a kettle of water over it to boil. He trotted outside to get more wood only to discover his wood pile had been vandalized again.

He didn't blame the villagers, Dragon Pokémon were common in the area and they seemed to have such an effect on people that the men of the household seemed to spontaneously leave the area to become "Pokémon Masters", leaving women and often young children behind to fend for themselves with little more than small shipments of money every few months. Gosh, he hoped Kenshin didn't turn out like that. He wouldn't raise someone to be so selfish.

Pokémon Master was nothing more than a useless title that didn't do anything to define a person. He would teach Kenshin that it wasn't fame or status that mattered, but what you did with your life and your Pokémon. But there wasn't anything more rotten than those Rockets, always trying to steal other trainer's possessions and often targeting Blackthorn for their rare dragon Pokémon.

Ending with that thought, he fished out a Pokéball from a pocket of his cloak and released his Dragonair. "Hina, keep an eye on Kenshin while I get some more firewood. Keep in mind he's still a bit jumpy and he's running a fever. Come get me if you need to."

The large Dragon Pokémon nodded and made herself comfortable near the burning fire. She glanced over at the boy who was sleeping peacefully for the moment. Hina yawned and let out a low tune before resting her head on one of her coils. She thought about Raidon and knew it was hurting Hiko more than her that he was gone, but she missed him terribly. He hadn't always been so violent…

Hina's thoughts were interrupted by soft moans coming from the nearby futon. She floated over to the young boy warily, remembering Hiko's warnings. But she was never one to mind him, not since he hatched her as a Dratini. Even at a young age she was defiant, but also loyal and compassionate.

She ran the tip of her tail over the sleeping boy's forehead and took note of his high temperature. The contact with the Dragonair's smooth scales seemed to calm the boy so she continued to stroke his forehead gently. She continued to do so until the boy opened his eyes and gave a frightened yelp.

"You…you're the Dragonair…Hina?" Kenshin trembled, partly from fear and partly from fever. The Dragonair let out a soft note and floated right above the boy before licking his forehead. He cringed a little at first, but then giggled and lifted a weak hand and placed it on the Pokémon's scaly nose.

"You're awfully cold." Kenshin grinned, letting his hand rest on Hina's cool scales. The Dragon Pokémon blinked and pressed her head against Kenshin's hand, encouraging him to pet her more. He was tentative at first; he hadn't ever seen a Dragon type before Hiko started coming to the shop and he'd always been too shy to ask if he could pet one. But soon enough he became comfortable with the Dragonair's cool scales. They reminded him of an Arbok that once came in. He got to pet that one extensively.

Soon enough, the boy was resting his head on one of the coils of Hina's long body as the Dragonair let out a series of soothing notes, meant to calm the boy. She could feel the heat from his forehead and neck on her side, but she didn't mind. She only became concerned when the boy started coughing violently and she wondered if she should go get Hiko. She didn't have to, however, because the man was just coming through the door.


	3. Ministrations

Chapter 3: Ministrations

Hiko was stunned by the sight of the previously jumpy boy cuddled up with his Dragonair. He walked over and put his own hand on Hina's nose when she turned her head towards him.

"You do always seem to work miracles, Hina." Hiko grinned and glanced down at the sleeping boy. His breaths were ragged and uneven, causing the large man to become acquainted with a feeling unfamiliar when not directed towards a Pokémon. He rarely felt love and compassion for a human, often considering them bringers of destruction of pain. Thus he took up residence in the cabin up in the somewhat snowy mountains of Blackthorn; to get away from humans.

But he pushed aside that feeling for now and stoked the fire with the freshly acquired firewood he had brought inside. Soon the weak fire turned into a large blaze, quickly heating up the room. By the time he was done, Hiko noticed that Hina was curled up around Kenshin protectively.

The man couldn't help but smile as he went to his room and pulled out his own futon. He trusted Hina to come wake him if there were any problems with Kenshin. He placed his five remaining Pokéballs on the ground next to him and stared at them for a while.

Fudo, his Charizard, was probably one of his most loyal Pokémon and burned with the fiery passion and determination known for his species. He got Fudo as a Charmeleon that was shipped off from Kanto because nobody wanted him as a starter. He immediately saw the potential in him as a great addition to his team.

Sorano, his Altaria, was shy but good company. She was gentler than Hina and didn't like battling. Hiko caught her as a Swablu when she had been injured by a wild Zangoose and nursed her back to health. She evolved during a defensive fight against a trainer that sought to steal from Hiko.

Takeshi, his Gabite, was fierce and unruly much like Raiden was before his demise. In fact, the two were fierce rivals once when they were both caught around the same time in the lowest evolved forms. Since Raiden evolved into his final form, it was all Takeshi wanted to do. He trained persistently, often exhausting himself and Hiko, who always insisted in training alongside his Pokémon, in the process.

Katsumi, his Seadra, was tough, fast, and an all around good battler. He was often withdrawn and rarely interacted with the other Pokémon. Hiko caught him as a Horsea in a lake near the base of the mountain, intending to eventually evolve him into a Kingdra. But as of yet, Katsumi has no desire to evolve into a Kingdra and Hiko was fine with that. He was powerful enough as a Seadra.

Finally, there was Hina the Dragonair. She was his treasure; his first Pokémon. He received her at a young age as a Dratini from his own master. She was always sweet when she wanted to be, but mostly stubborn and hard-headed. And she was very powerful in her own right, probably Hiko's strongest. She had a wide variety of attacks that even made up for her weakness to Ice-type Pokémon.

Hiko was drawn out of his thoughts, however, when he heard Hina call out to him. He also heard the rustle of sheets and sounds of the boy coughing. Sighing, Hiko rose and approached the Dragonair whom was curled protectively around the small figure. He noticed the boy was coming around and placed his hand on his forehead.

"You still a pretty high fever, baka deshi. You should have told me you were getting tired and we might have stopped for the night." Hiko tried to sound nonchalant and distant, but he couldn't help but feel concerned for the boy. He distracted himself by fixing some plain miso broth, figuring the boy might be hungry. Plus putting some medicine in the soup instead of stressing him with the powdered version would be the best way to help the boy recover.

"Hiko-sama," Kenshin broke off with a cough that wracked his whole body, "I did not want to slow down…I have to be strong. I have to be strong enough to do great things with my Pokémon."

Hiko turned so he could hide his smile and pretended to be tending to the soup. "To be strong for your Pokémon, you must first be strong for yourself. And you can't do that if you collapse after a bit of cold weather."

That bit of cold weather consisted of three days of hiking through a snow covered mountain with the only warmth being the clothes on his back and the small fire Hiko made during the three hours they were allowed to sleep during the night. He didn't know how the large man could go through it himself. Even so, Kenshin flushed with embarrassment at his physical weakness.

Hiko ladled some of the soup into a ceramic bowl and handed it to the boy who tentatively took it out of his hands. It was all the large man could do to steady the bowl when the boy went into another coughing fit. Hina let out another low note and nuzzled the boy's hair to try to comfort him.

"Well, can you hold your own bowl or not, boy? You're never going to amount to anything if you can't even manage that." Hiko was about to chastise the boy again until Hina shot him down. If looks could kill, the man would be dead. He got the message instantly; the berating and insulting wasn't doing the boy any good after all. It was completely different than he expected; instead of rising to insults and retaliating like he himself did as a child towards his master, this small boy was cowering into Hina's coils, looking like he was ready to cry.

"Boy, settle down. I won't hurt you." Hiko wasn't too good at this kind of thing but he figured a little compassion was the least he could give the traumatized boy whom he had orphaned and opted to take care of. What a job he was doing so far…

"I…I don't want to be weak…"boy hiccupped and let a single tear fall onto his cheek. Hina nuzzled him more, using her tail to help support the small boy into sitting up. Both Hina and Hiko knew that the best thing to do for the boy was probably to get some food into him so the man took the bowl and began to spoon feed the warm broth to the boy. After a few mouthfuls, Kenshin regained his composure and relaxed though he didn't try to take the bowl again for fear of spilling hot soup all over himself during another coughing fit.

When the bowl was empty, Hiko checked the boy's temperature again before standing up. He was concerned that it had gotten higher, but he supposed that was because of the warm soup. He washed the bowl quietly and soaked a spare rag in cold water before returning to the boy's side.

"Lie still, now, and sleep." He folded up the damp cloth and placed it on Kenshin's forehead. The boy shivered a bit and tried to take it off, but Hiko took hold of the boy's wrist. "Baka deshi, keep it there for now, I know it's cold. It will help with the fever."

Kenshin contemplated for the second time what Hiko meant by calling him baka deshi, but he nodded and relaxed again, resting his head on Hina's coils. The Dragonair brought her tail up and let it rest across the boy's chest as to make him feel secure. Hina was quickly becoming Kenshin's favorite Pokémon; none of his parents' Pokémon paid much attention to him unless his father told them to look after him.

And as far as he knew, his parents had no intention of letting him own a Pokémon of his own anytime soon, let alone allowing him to become a Pokémon trainer.


	4. Accustomed

**I don't own Pokémon or Rurouni Kenshin. Anybody claiming otherwise is liable for prosecution.**

Chapter 4: Accustomed

Hiko poured himself some more sake and sighed. Now he had no idea what to do with the boy. He seemed to be warming up to Hina, but he had no idea how comfortable he would be around his other Pokémon. And they needed to meet him soon.

Hina came up behind him, having unraveled herself from the boy's sleeping grasp. She put her head on his shoulder as she customarily did when she was relaxed or just wanting attention. But this time, she was tense and tired. And Hiko knew why.

"It's almost time, isn't it? It will be perfect for Kenshin."

The Dragonair nodded and gave a soft sigh.

Kenshin awoke to a scratchy throat and feeling like his head was stuffed with cotton. It was terribly hard to breathe through his nose, so the boy settled with letting air flow in and out through his mouth instead.

"I see you're awake again." Kenshin looked towards the fire to see a man with a large mantle on his shoulders. It took a few moments for his mind to work through who he was looking at, but in the end he smiled.

"Was I…was I asleep…for long?" Kenshin started coughing when he tried to speak, but he managed to get a few words out. Hiko sighed and poured the boy some of the tea he had just finished brewing. He shoved the cup into Kenshin's hands and growled, "Drink it."

Kenshin nodded and sipped the tea gingerly; he was amazed at how strong it was yet it still tasted good. After a few sips he looked up again and saw Hina eating something colorful out of a large dish.

"What's that?" Kenshin pointed to the Dragonair's bowl.

"Just a little something I fixed for Hina. A few Razz and Chesto berries never hurt a Dragonair." Hiko grunted, pouring some sake into a dish.

"Berries? Aren't those really expensive?" Kenshin frowned; recalling all his parents ever fed their Pokémon was Grade-C Pokémon food.

"Why would you want to buy them? You can find them all around here, depending on where you look. Now stop bothering me with stupid questions." Hiko sipped at his sake as Hina floated over towards Kenshin again. She had blue and red berry juice staining her muzzle which made the boy giggle and stroke her head.

Hiko stared at the boy, thinking. Would he be the right one to pass on his techniques to? He fingered the hilt of a sword with one hand while he sipped sake with the other. Unlike other trainers, Hiko didn't believe Pokémon should be the only ones fighting. Unless in a designated Pokémon battle, he believed trainers should fight alongside their Pokémon to defend themselves. That's what he used his sword for, with the teachings of the Hiten Mitsurugi style. To protect those he held close to his heart and to not rely completely on his Pokémon.

"Boy, what do you want to do with yourself?" Hiko suddenly spoke, startling Kenshin a little. But he quickly composed himself before giving what sounded like a satisfying answer.

"I want to become stronger. I want to protect the people I love…"

"Good. We start when your fever breaks and your strength returns." Hiko interrupted, making his decision quickly. Hina squealed in delight and encircled the boy once again.

"Start? How?" Kenshin muttered, eyeing the man's hand as it moved. His reflexes kicked in and caught a large metal sheath that Hiko had grabbed from the wall he was leaning against.

"A sword?" Kenshin muttered, unsheathing part of the blade. He ran his finger across its surface, surprised at its design. "But the blade is on the wrong side…"

"I know, baka deshi. Though mine is normal, I purchased this sword from a vendor in Ecruteak City many months ago, meaning to train my apprentice in its use." Hiko took another sip of sake and fingered the hilt of his own sword once again. "The time for slaying recklessly with the blade has been gone for a long time, though my master was adamant in my own training with the killing sword. I will teach you differently; a sword, though a weapon meant to take lives, doesn't always have to be so. Each life is sacred, human or Pokémon, and it should not be left upon a single man to judge whether to take life away."

"That makes sense," Kenshin nodded, "nobody has the right to kill."

_At least the boy has a good heart,_ Hiko thought to himself, wondering what he himself would have thought if he had been exposed to such values at that age.

"Hiko-sama?"

"You will call me Shishou, baka deshi." Hiko shot a stern look at the boy and Kenshin lowered his eyes.

"Shishou…will I fight alongside my Pokémon?"

"Of course. Just as I do." Hiko didn't mention how he had killed Raidon himself using his own sword.

"When will I get to capture my first Pokémon?"

Hiko froze at this question for a moment before turning on Kenshin, his eyes glaring.

"Boy, you don't capture Pokémon. They are not lower beings, but our equals. If you prove yourself to them, they may or may not decide to be your partner…"

"But my father said he caught Hisa after battling her when…"

"That is the fool's way. If you capture a Pokémon by force, they will never grow to love and trust you. Your father was a brave, kind man, but he did not have a true connection with his Pokémon."

Hiko expected the boy to retort with another argument, but all of his years of training and traveling could have prepared him for what happened next. Kenshin cried. Not only did he cry, but he sobbed with large fat tears rolling down his face.

Hina, startled by the sudden emotional outburst, curled tighter around the boy. Hiko, on the other hand, sighed and stood up. He was not one to be patient with emotions, so he did all he knew how to do.

"Boy, stop crying. Tears will not bring them back, no matter how much you and I wish they could. All you can do is keep improving yourself so you can stop these things from happening to other people." Hiko didn't raise his voice, but his eyes remained locked with Kenshin's as if transmitting a message that delved below consciousness. The boy sniffled, but he stopped crying. Hina raised her head to look Kenshin in the eye and let out a soft note of comfort.

The gentle tone and the sparkle in the Dragonair's eye made the boy smile and put his hand on her head. "Arigatou…Shishou."


	5. Training Begins

"**Lawsuiiiiits!"**

**Do not haunt me, lawyer spirits! I do not own Pokémon or Rurouni Kenshin!**

"**Braiiins!"**

**A/N: Forgive me, I have no idea about how the mechanics of sword fighting work. I'm just taking a wild stab at it (no pun intended).**

Chapter 5: Training Begins

"No, Kenshin. Do it again."

Kenshin groaned and picked up his sword, which his master had aptly called Sakabatou. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Hina and Sorano conversing pleasantly while floating on top of the snow. Kenshin considered them lucky; they didn't have to try and train when they were knee-deep in the stuff.

"Boy, hurry up or do I have to _show_ you again?" Hiko smirked and Kenshin could detect a slight gleam in his eye.

"Slave driver…" Kenshin muttered to himself, picking up his sword. He ran at the dummy (whom clearly had no brains to move out of the way) and jumped as high as he could (albeit was not very high).

"_Ryu Tsui Sen!_"

Thunk thunk!

Not only was there not enough power in the swing for the sword to pierce the wooden dummy, but the sword also swung backwards from the force and hit the boy square on the forehead. At this point, Kenshin was sweating despite the freezing weather, tired, and now bleeding from his forehead. Hiko approached the boy and sighed.

"Boy, have you never held a sword in your life before?"

"Before today…no." Kenshin grinned sheepishly.

"Baka! I would have started with the basics!" Kenshin found himself flying to the ground after not being able to block a punch from his master. "If you weren't so stubborn we wouldn't be wasting all this time! 'We can skip the basics' my %$."

"But Shishou…" Kenshin grunted, getting up slowly.

"Don't 'but' me! You're foolish and hard headed! Hell, you're almost as bad as Hina!" Hiko growled, glaring at the boy.

"Gomennasai."

Hiko was about to start scolding the boy again, but stopped at the unexpected apology.

"I'm sorry, you're right." The boy's head was down, avoiding eye contact with the large, enraged man. Hiko sighed, and then approached the boy. He clasped Kenshin's shoulder and spoke softly to the boy.

"Being strong is a process; you can't just rush into whatever it is you want to conquer. It's like learning to run; first you need to crawl then walk. If you don't learn the first two, you'll fall for sure."

Kenshin nodded and Hiko gave him a half-smile.

Hina silently watched the scene along with Sorano. At that point, she was sure the boy would fit perfectly into her plans. She felt the changes in her body already and they had intensified over the past few days. There were sharp pains in her stomach that shot all the way down her tail before turning into a dull ache. But the pain filled her heart with the joy that only a female could understand. The only downside was that she had to face that Raidon was gone and wasn't coming back.

"Four hundred sword swings?!" Kenshin glared at his master, whom after a short demonstration gave him said assignment.

"That's right. Two hundred so I can instruct you and see what you're doing wrong and two hundred afterwards as punishment for being foolish." Hiko grinned, but he wasn't finished. "And no lunch until you're finished, so I suggest you get started."

Kenshin shot the large man another death glare, half hoping his master would turn to stone before his eyes. Unfortunately, fate wasn't kind to boys with red hair that day and Hiko remained animated.

Soon, Kenshin's battle cries filled the air once again, as his master instructed him to yell out each number so he could increase his lung capacity. But the boy supposed Hiko was doing this just to be cruel. He was so loud that even Takeshi came out from his reclusive training spot by the waterfall to see what was going on.

"Hold your left hand at the base of the sword and your right near the hilt. And swing just like that. Good." Hiko struggled to remain impassive, but inside he was bubbling with pride. Everything would turn out right after all, he supposed.

"Shishou…" Kenshin stopped after one hundred and fifty, panting.

"Did I tell you to stop, boy?"

"No shishou, but…wouldn't it be more effective like this?" Kenshin put both of his hands by the hilt of his sword and swung a few times like this. Hiko sighed and drew his own sword and knocked the boy's sword away. It went flying a few feet and landed in the snow.

"Baka deshi, do you see now? With two points of force on your sword, you have more control over it rather than one. With one hand at the bottom, you can direct the angle of your sword quickly without having to adjust your hands as much. Now go get your sword and keep going."

Kenshin nodded and swiftly retrieved his sword, replaying the previous scene over and over in his head. He had barely even been able to see his master's sword move, let alone strike his own sword. He just had to get stronger.

Takeshi approached Hiko after the commotion was over and the boy was once again immersed in the great philosophy of sword swings. After a few short words, Hiko could tell what was on his Gabite's mind. "Yes, Kenshin will one day be an opponent even worthy for you. I'm sorry I have not been able to train with you, but I must train my apprentice and pass on the Hiten Mitsirugi style. How about tonight?"

The Gabite nodded and sulked off back into the trees.

Kenshin felt like his arms were going to fall off. He had put all of his effort into every last swing, pushing his body as far as it would go in order to get strong. Strong like Hiko. Kenshin sighed and collapsed onto the futon, only to yelp in pain when a sharp object poked his chest. He dug through his kimono until he found the offending object; his wooden top.

He couldn't help but fiddle with it for a good while, like he did every night. But his arms were too sore even to play with his favorite toy. Instead, he laid it on his chest and stared at it. The carvings were intricate, featuring a Gyarados chasing its tail in a never ending cycle. As it spun, the colors would blend together, the different shades of blue complimenting each other. When he turned it slowly, he could imagine the large Pokémon swimming in its vast, never ending ocean.

But eventually, his thoughts strayed to other matters. His parents. He decided early on not to hold a grudge against any Pokémon, because to him they were just animals that could not be held responsible for their actions. But Hiko decreed otherwise.

Swamped by the overwhelming dilemma in his soul between his parents and Hiko, Kenshin cried.


	6. Curiosity

**Disclaimer: On that note, I do not own Pokémon or Rurouni Kenshin. Nor do I claim responsibility for death to any characters from said anime…fine I won't kill them!**

**Not yet…**

Chapter 6: Curiosity

"That was only six hundred. Two hundred more." Hiko grunted, studying Kenshin's form while remaining motionless. It had been two weeks since they had begun training and the boy was making progress…somewhat.

Granted, he started out with very little muscle and absolutely no experience with a sword. It was expected that training him would take some time, only Hiko had absolutely no patience. And it is not good to have no patience while training an apprentice. It is a good way to have many headaches and episodes of binge drinking involved.

"Shishou…"

"What is it, boy?" Hiko glared at Kenshin, though in reality it didn't seem like a glare at all. He was beginning to get soft with the boy.

"Perhaps I could try that technique now…the one you tried to teach me at first." Hiko stared at the boy as he made his request, turning information over in his mind.

"Do you remember how?" Kenshin nodded and the large man gave a grunt of approval. "Use the training post on the far end of the field. I have something to attend to."

Hiko stalked off despite Kenshin's glare. How on earth was he going to know whether he was doing it right if his master wasn't even watching? But the large man took no notice of the eyes that bore holes into the back of his head and continued on his way.

"Hina…" Hiko's voice was pained, an emotion he reserved strictly for his Pokémon and his baka deshi. He had blown off his pupil's inquiries about where the Dragonair was, only because Hiko knew Kenshin was too young to understand such things. It was a happy moment, but the large man couldn't help but be worried about his prized Pokémon.

As he approached the part of the forest he had sectioned off for Hina, he could hear her gentle voice singing soft tunes. So it was finally over; all morning she had been in such pain and it broke Hiko's heart. Now resting amongst her coils was a large pale blue egg with a single white streak near the bottom.

He approached the Dragonair slowly, unsure of how she would react to his presence around her new ward. But thankfully she was just as receptive and joyful to see Hiko as ever. The large man stroked her head multiple times before turning his attention onto the egg. It didn't appear damaged but it was too cold out for it to remain out in the open. Fortunately Hina had no objections to Hiko carrying it inside as long as she remained near it.

He did notice Kenshin's curious ki following him, but decided not to pay any mind to the boy. Surely he understood the concept of Pokémon eggs…without Hiko having to explain every detail to him. The boy's curiosity, as the large man had discovered, was boundless. He would ask questions about anything and everything without discretion.

He didn't address the boy until he was inside with the egg and could sense him looking through the window. "Aren't you supposed to be practicing?" He suppressed a smirk when the boy jumped then slowly entered the cabin.

"Ano…Shishou, there is a man in the field. He was watching me so I came to get you."

"Well, did you try to speak to him?"

"Yes…he said he knew you and needed to speak to you." Kenshin shifted nervously; nobody had ever come up to the cabin before this. After a few moments of thought, Hiko sighed and turned to the boy.

"You might as well take a rest. Stay with Hina until I come back." He placed the egg near the fire; close enough so it would be warm but not too close so that it would be burnt. The Dragonair curled up around the blue egg while Kenshin got a closer look at it.

It had a few curious white spots on its surface that the boy was intrigued about. He had only seen a Pokémon egg a few times in his life and knew nothing about the process of Pidgeys and Combees. It wasn't long, however, before Kenshin got curious about the strange man and decided to find out what was going on for himself.

"You knew my master?"

"No, only stories. He was before my time. The tales told of how he and his Dragonite quelled the rumbling sea with a single flap of her wings. But then, as they all do, he disappeared. To train a student, he said. And then he never came back, only he left a letter to be sent to our elder. He was planning to die, he was. He didn't say how, but he told us he was releasing his Pokémon to his student."

"The Aggron was killed during a Team Rocket raid on Blackthorn. The Salamence was captured by Team Rocket in the same raid. The Flygon was injured as well and died soon after the same raid due to the severity of his wounds. The Dragonite disappeared halfway through the battle; I could do nothing to stop it, any of it." Hiko surprised himself with his emotions; losing his late master's beloved Pokémon was the worst thing that ever happened to him.

From his hiding place in the nearby bushes, Kenshin strained to hear what was being said. He caught a few mentions of Pokémon, but not much else.

"I see, so then you and your Pokémon are all that can help us."

Hiko sighed, wondering if the man could have had any worse timing. And he desperately needed a drink.

"This is not the best time, but what can I do for you?"

"I don't suppose you know about the Whirl Islands, do you?" The man frowned, unsure of how to best explain the situation.

"I remember my master spoke of it once or twice and I heard many rumors during my travels about powerful Pokémon that resided there." Hiko paused as he caught wind of his deshi's soft breathing, but didn't turn his head towards the boy. Instead, he thought there was no harm in letting the boy hear this since it would likely involve him as well.

"That is what Team Rocket is after; the legendary Pokémon, Lugia. They have not acted directly yet, but we have received word that they are planning a raid within the year." Hiko raised an eyebrow at this as he mulled over the information.

"I guess it is my responsibility to help out, after all it's what my master would have wanted. Besides, it will be good experience for my own apprentice. Give me six weeks to get to the islands. And you can come out now, Kenshin." The large man smirked as Kenshin jumped when he was addressed. The boy had been so careful too…

"Gather some clothes and some spare Pokéballs, boy. We're carrying the egg down to the Pokémon center then flying the rest of the way to the Whirl Islands. Once we get there, we can transfer the egg over by PC." Kenshin nodded then looked towards the other man, only to find he had disappeared.

"Oro…"


	7. Development

**Disclaimer: Pokémon and Rurouni Kenshin are not mine! If they were, I would be rich!**

**And I would own a Shinx and name it Pookie.**

Chapter 7: Development

"Are you sure this is safe, Shishou?" Kenshin warily eyed the saddle that was strapped to the Charizard's back. Fudo huffed, black smoke pouring from his mouth as he did so. Hina let out a soft note, expressing her own displeasure at being ridden however necessary it was. The egg was tucked snugly in Hiko's bag which was strapped to his back.

"Baka deshi. I've done this more times than you could count. Now, stop being so dramatic and just get on." The large man grumbled, giving Kenshin a stern glare. The boy turned towards the Charizard and attempted to mount him, only to be shaken off quite easily. Hiko sighed and stood over the boy who now lay sprawled on the ground, having also taken a flamethrower to the face.

"Kenshin, in order to ride a Pokémon you have to be confident and trustworthy. And all I see here is a quivering sliver of a boy. Get up and show him your spirit."

The boy shot Hiko a glare. He didn't know how to be strong; he didn't even have any Pokémon of his own. "Look…Fudo…"

He flinched when the Charizard glared at him, but soon gained his composure. It was as if an unseen force inside of him was pushing the words through his mouth. "Fudo, you may not think much of me, but I am more than capable of riding you."

Fudo's interest peeked as he realized the boy's eyes, once violet, were now glowing amber. He turned to the boy with the intention of intimidating him further, but it seemed to have an opposite effect. Hiko stared at the two of them from the sidelines, but didn't interfere as Kenshin drew his Sakabatou.

"I'll prove to you how strong I am." Kenshin glared and leapt into the air as the ground below him was consumed with a flamethrower. _"Ryu Tsui Sen!"_

Taken aback from the unexpected aerial attack, Fudo had no time to dodge or block it. Instead, the sword connected with his shoulder, causing the Charizard to cry out in pain. Kenshin landed on his feet just yards away, glaring at the fire Pokémon.

His glare was returned and strengthened with another fire attack, but Kenshin had disappeared into the air again. This time, the hilt of the Sakabatou struck Fudo's head, knocking the Pokémon unconscious. Kenshin turned when he heard Hiko chuckle to his right, puzzled.

"Good work, baka deshi, but you forgot one slight problem. You need him conscious to ride him. But you did prove your strength to him, so I think he'll let you ride him. Now fetch a Revive from my pack and get Fudo up."

Kenshin rolled his eyes, which had turned violet once again, and went digging through Hiko's bag until he retrieved a pouch with three finger-sized diamond-shaped stones. He took out one of the stones and dropped it into Fudo's mouth as he had seen his master do on a few occasions when Takeshi battled against wild Pokémon until he was knocked out. The Charizard swallowed the stone by instinct and soon opened his eyes.

The large Pokémon eyed Kenshin with interest and bitterness, but realized he had no choice but to submit to the boy's orders. Not that he liked it, or anything. It wasn't as if he was impressed by the boy, either. No, he was doing this because if he put up another fight it wouldn't be only the boy's _Ryu Tsui Sen_ he'd have to worry about.

"Shishou, this is amazing!" Fudo and Hiko both couldn't help but grin at the boy's enjoyment at flying. The Charizard dove down towards the forest, almost dislodging Kenshin at one point. But the boy held fast as he reveled in his newfound favorite pastime.

"Easy, Fudo." Hiko chuckled as Hina let out a loud note to display her own joy in watching Kenshin have a good time. They had hoped the boy would eventually regain his happiness, and it seemed like it was finally starting to happen.

They flew at this brisk pace until early afternoon when they finally reached the Blackthorn City Pokémon Center. Once there, they dropped off the egg with Nurse Joy and Hiko treated Kenshin to some lunch.

"If I had known you were such a fan of ohagi, I would have gotten you some when we were here a few weeks ago." Hiko was been pleased that the boy was eating well again; when he first took in his ward it was hard to get the boy to eat anything other than plain miso broth, and that was only when he was too sick or weak to refuse. He had decided to reward the boy for eating everything on his plate with a little dessert.

"I use to have it once a week in Viridian City. Mother would always buy the best azuki beans on the market…" Sensing the boy might go into another depression when he thought of his parents, Hiko quickly changed the subject.

"How do you feel about training your own Pokémon, Kenshin?" At this, Kenshin's eyes immediately lit up.

"It would be amazing…but I wouldn't know where to begin with it." The boy eyed Hina and Fudo, the latter of which was napping against the wall while the rest of them were eating.

"Do you have a favorite Pokémon?" Hiko asked nonchalantly, though in reality he was paying close attention to his baka deshi's responses.

"I like Hina," Kenshin replied softly, glancing at the Dragonair when she looked up from her food. He grinned as she nudged his hand with her head and started petting her.

"Well, that's a good thing, I suppose," Hiko gazed at his student as he interacted with Hina, "because pretty soon you'll have Pokémon of your own. And one of them is Hina's offspring."

"Er…offspring?" Kenshin blinked and met his master's eyes.

"And I suppose Pokémon eggs were never explains properly to you?"

"…Oro?"

After Hiko unceremoniously explains all about the Pidgeys and the Combees, Kenshin was dumbfounded. He harbored even more anxiety, however, when his master told him who the father was.

"That Salamence…Raidon. What was he like…before he, you know…" Kenshin stumbled through the sentence, still harboring painful memories of that day. Hiko took a deep breath then once again met the boy's violet eyes.

"Kenshin, many things in this world are uncertain and unpredictable until the very end. One of those things is Pokémon. At one moment, your Pokémon can seem like the most loyal partner you've ever had. And the next, he becomes a killing machine. Take Hina…she is very gentle when she is around you. But when someone threatens those she loves…she can get very nasty.

"Never judge a Pokémon by a single incident, just like you can never judge that a man is violent just by what he does when threatened. Pokémon, like people, are affected by the world around them and act accordingly depending on what their instincts tell them."

Surprisingly, Kenshin took this all in strides. But then again, Hiko expected nothing less of the boy. "So, since you are going to be partners with the hatchling, what will you name it?"

Kenshin shed his sorrowed, depressed mood in favor of a more thoughtful manner of thinking. "Kaishou if it is a boy."

"That is an odd name… 'Fly Over the Sea?'" Hiko eyed the boy thoughtfully as Kenshin pulled the top he had often seen him fiddling with from his kimono.

"My favorite Pokémon use to be Gyarados…because they seemed so mystical and my grandfather had one since he was a boy. I use to ride him in lakes before he died. My father gave me this top to always remember my family by no matter where I traveled…assuming he would allow me to go on a journey of my own. He said I was like Kaimu, resilient and strong yet gentle. Kaimu was awful kind for a Gyarados…" Kenshin broke off, feeling tears prickling his eyes. He hastily wiped them away with his sleeve, hoping his master hadn't noticed.

"He said perhaps if I worked hard, I could become as strong and powerful as the mightiest Gyarados. But now I want to be better than a Gyarados that glides through the water as if it were nothing but air. I want to fly above the sea with my Pokémon and surpass even Kaimu."

Hiko was careful not to show any outwards emotion, but inside he was really feeling for the boy. He now knew, without any doubts, Kenshin was the right choice to pass on the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu. Never in any child did he see a fire burn as bright in his eyes as he spoke about Pokémon. And none ever had the guts or stupidity to take on a Charizard…and win.

"And if it is a girl?" The large man asked nonchalantly, still keeping his face blank.

"Then…" Kenshin thought about this a little more before coming up with an appropriate answer. "Hayase, Swift Current. For the fun-filled adventures we're sure to have as partners. And if she's anything like Hina…she'll be a force to contend wth."


	8. Journeys, part 1

**Disclaimer: Pokémon and Rurouni Kenshin are not mine. But Seaqueen, my late angelfish, did belong to me. *sniff***

Chapter 8: Journeys, part 1

"Kenshin, come here." Hiko grunted, waiting for the boy to catch up. They had been walking for almost two days and they hadn't made much progress, to Hiko's chagrin. They hadn't even made it to Mahogany Town yet. Route 43 was turning out to be harder to navigate than last time, despite the lack of snow. But the air was still chilled to the point that Hiko instructed his ward to use his cape as a blanket during the night.

"Do you see those Mareep? You can tell they are in good condition by looking at their coat. See how it shines in the morning sun like a dragon's scales?" Kenshin obediently peered through the brush towards where his master was instructing him.

"Mother said clothes made out of Mareep wool is the most expensive."

"Hai, it is. I have never even owned so much as a pair of socks made from Mareep wool. But it is very dangerous business, herding Mareep. You get your fair share of electric shocks, so I hear. No, it's best just to leave them be." Hiko kept walking without waiting for the boy to respond. He had taken every opportunity to lecture Kenshin about every Pokémon they encountered. That's why they both weren't flying on Hina and Fudo; so Hiko could educate Kenshin. He had already stopped his baka deshi just in time from getting too close to a Girafarig tail.

"You need to remember, rarely is anything ever as it first appears in the wild. Always stop and think about your actions before you act." Hiko chuckled as Hina, the only Pokémon that was travelling alongside them because apparently she immensely disliked Pokéballs, let out a high note of amusement.

"But it looked just like a ghost Pokémon! Like…a Gastly or something." Kenshin thought back to the time said ghost Pokémon was brought into the grooming salon. How one grooms a ghost Pokémon, he'd never understand.

"You know, there is the option of catching a Pokémon without your Dratini. It would be useful to at least have one Pokémon. But you have to do it yourself."

Kenshin sighed and regarded his surroundings. So far, he'd seen the Mareep, a Girafarig, and a few Pidgeotto. None of them really seemed to interest him for long, though. As they walked along the edge of a small lake, Kenshin caught a glance of a strange blue Pokémon that Hiko identified as a Poliwag. Unfortunately, it slipped back into the water before the boy could get a closer look.

"If you have a fishing rod, you can find many different kinds of Pokémon in the water. Perhaps one day I'll buy you one. Not any Old Rod, of course. All you can catch with that is Magikarp."

"Ano…Shishou, don't Gyarados evolve from Magikarp?"

"They do, but it is a pain to train them to the point where they level. You see, they don't do well in battle as Magikarp as their attack is...Splash."

This made Kenshin face-fall.

"Splash, Shishou?"

"Yes, so don't bother wasting your time trying to train one. Keep moving." Hiko picked up the pace, checking the sky to see that it was already noon. And yet he felt no closer to Mahogany Town than before. He was distracted by his musings by a rustling in the bushes to his right.

"My name is Camper Taichi and I challenge you to a battle! By order of the Pokémon Trainer's Commision, you have no choice but to…"

"No."

"Um…sir…you have to battle me."

"No I don't. Now get out of my way." Kenshin couldn't help but snicker at the situation. This boy, barely a year older than Kenshin himself, wanted to have a contest with his Shishou in Pokémon strength? It would not end well if his master was inclined to battle.

The boy, however, was not deterred. He stood confidently in front of Hiko, a Pokéball in his hand. "Sir, if you don't battle me I'll be forced to report you to the Trainer's Comission."

"Boy, I am not a trainer out on some silly quest for fame. But if you insist on a battle, I can do no other than put you in your place and move on.

"That's what you think! Go, Sandshrew!" The boy threw the Pokéball up in the air in a very exaggerated and all the more humorous manner.

"Only a boy with no heart calls his Pokémon by species without some sort of recognition of their personality. Hina, take care of this pest."

The Dragonair glared at the boy, then at his Sandshrew. Without even being told, Hina let out a light blue beam from her mouth that even gave Kenshin chills from the sidelines. The yellow mouse Pokémon was quickly encased completely in ice, signifying the obvious end to the match.

As the petrified boy returned his Sandshrew to his Pokéball, Hina floated back towards Hiko. "Don't even bother sending out another Pokémon. You already know which of us is stronger. I hope you learned something from this. Let's go, Kenshin."

The large man briskly walked off, Kenshin trotting in strides beside him in order to keep up.

"Shishou?" Kenshin whispered sleepily, turning to face his master. Hiko was sitting on a nearby log, sipping sake from a small dish he held.

"Go to sleep, Kenshin." Hiko responded gruffly.

"Ano…I can't sleep." Kenshin muttered, sitting up.

"Don't bother me when you're so tired you can't walk in the morning."

They were close to Mahogany Town; Hiko knew this land well. They had encountered very few other trainers during the day, all of which scurried off due to a certain Dragonair's glare. Kenshin would sure hate to be on the receiving end of that glare.

"Shishou…I keep thinking about the Dratini."

"It is not _the Dratini._ It is your future partner and most likely the best friend you'll ever have."

"But even so…what if it doesn't like me?" Ah, so that's what this is all about.

"Kenshin, do you think I'm very likeable?"

"Um…"

"You don't have to answer that. Even so, if you ask Hina, who would she rather spend her life with? Any old run-of-the-mill trainer?"

"Nobody, Shishou."

"And that's because partners have a bond that go deeper than likes and dislikes. Even those of opposite personalities often become good friends, right? As long as you have trust in between you two and the strength to hold each other up, there should be no issue." When Kenshin nodded, Hiko let on a ghost of a smile.

"It's the same with Pokémon, baka deshi. Now go to sleep."

"Yes, Shishou." Kenshin laid back down and immediately started to drift off. His feet were aching, but his heart felt renewed.

Early the next morning, they made it to Mahogany Town. "Welcome to the Home of the Ninja!" Hiko read the sign and let out a sigh. So it really hadn't changed a bit since the old days.

"Kenshin, I want you to stay close. I don't want to spend the night, but I need to stop at the store for a few things."

Kenshin nodded and took in the sights of the small town as they walked. "But there is no Pokémart, Shishou."

"Yes, I know. That's part of the reason I want you to stay close. The people of here conduct shady business. Not that I'm confident you couldn't handle yourself, but I'd prefer if it didn't come down to a fight." Kenshin nodded and did as Hiko bade. Soon they approached what looked like a run-down hut, but it seemed to be of some importance to Hiko.

"Stay out here, Kenshin. Do not talk to anyone. Do not move from this spot. Do you understand me?" Hiko eyed his student warily, doubting the message would get through.

Kenshin gulped at the seriousness of his master's tone and nodded. He stared as the large man disappeared inside the shack and waited.


	9. Morals

**Disclaimer: For the last time, I do not own Pokémon or Rurouni Kenshin. So you can't sue me! *anti-lawyer spray***

Chapter 9: Morals

Standing alone, outside of a strange building that looked like it might fall apart, was a little red head boy in a dark blue gi. He remained alert as his shishou commanded him to, never taking his eyes off his surroundings or his hand off the hilt of his sakabatou. One being so alert would probably notice the nearby commotion.

If said alert person was a nine-year-old boy with the curiosity of a Skitty, he would no doubt be tempted to leave his instructed post to check things out. And that is exactly what Kenshin did. His master's lecture didn't apply, in the boy's opinion, when something of actual interest was going on. Nevertheless, he took precautions.

It was easy for the small boy to remain in the shadows. It was easier for said small boy to see what was going on. It was easiest for said small boy to realize everything was all wrong.

"Get up, you stupid Ponyta." The sound of a cracking whip filled the air, making Kenshin cringe. The young fire Pokémon groaned and attempted to get to its feet, but only fell back down with a small thud. Kenshin could see the Pokémon was pulling a large wagon full of goods and thought back to how his parents treated their own Pokémon.

The boy's fathers never hit his Pokémon, nor yell at them even if they messed up at a job. Hiko also showed the same compassion and kindness to his Pokémon, never striking them or scolding them. There was a small crowd gathering, but very few of the members seemed to find the treatment of the Ponyta abhorrent. Many were throwing rocks at the exhausted Pokémon, yelling at it to either move or get out of the road.

He could have run and gotten Hiko. His master would never stand for such treatment of Pokémon. But Kenshin felt the urgency of the situation and saw that if something wasn't done, the Ponyta may be harmed even further. After much debate inside his mind in which the side for getting Hiko was quickly overpowered due to their disorganized notes and subsequently being knocked unconscious by the boy's more emotional side, Kenshin drew his sword.

With the power that came from training with Hiko, he easily leapt over the crowd and preformed his first attack.

_"Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu: Ryu Tsui Sen!"_ He quickly cut the ropes that connected the Ponyta to the wagon and smashed said wagon to bits in one stroke. Various berries spilled onto the ground as well as a plant with a bitter scent.

"You'll pay for that, boy!" Kenshin turned fast enough to block what would have been a rock connecting with his head. But while he was distracted, the boy felt both of his arms being wrenched behind him, forcing him to drop his sword and the man kicked it across the ground. He didn't turn his head, but knew it was the owner of the Ponyta by his voice.

"What do we have here? Do you think you can just go around destroying people's property?" The man's grip tightened on Kenshin's arms and the boy tried to hold back a yelp as he was flung to the side. He felt his left arm give a sickening snap as it hit the ground when he tried to stop his fall. Pain shot up the injured limb, causing tears to sting in the boy's eyes and he was unable to stop himself from screaming in agony.

"Now how do you think you're going to pay for that wagon you destroyed? Or for scaring my Ponyta?" Kenshin glanced at said Pokémon as the man spoke, figuring he didn't harm the Ponyta as this man did. He searched around for his sword, but found it had slid across the ground over towards the crowd. Not one of them touched the sword, though, more curious about how the situation with the boy would pan out.

"Answer me, boy." The man had Kenshin by the front of his gi, lifting him off the ground. He could smell alcohol on the man's breath and it sickened him. He tried to struggle, but the pain in his arm immobilized him.

"Well, if you can't come up with any ideas…I guess we can have a bit of fun."

He never really expected the boy to stay. But he didn't think he'd run off very far either. Boys his age were terribly curious…but his master always told him "curiosity killed the Meowth." The sound of his baka deshi screaming snapped him out of his train of thought.

That wasn't a normal scream for his deshi; he had never heard such a blood-curdling cry. Not even when he knocked the boy around during training. Of course, he had always gone easy on the small boy, always making sure he could land on his feet. With the speed known with its style, Hiko rushed towards the source of the scream. There, he found a crowd. A large crowd, at that. He hated crowds. But what he saw made his blood boil.

Kenshin, his baka deshi, was lying on the ground on his right side curled up into a ball. He was covered with scrapes and bruises, but what was most distinguishable was the disfiguration of his left arm. Hiko couldn't help but let out a growl when the man standing above his pupil further aggravated the boy's injured arm with his foot and subsequently spat on him.

This was all that the large man could take. As if he was flowing out of the shadows himself, he stepped in front of the crowd.

"Oi, Kenshin. You sure have gotten yourself into a mess." He regarded his trembling student with sad eyes before glaring at the man that had injured his apprentice. Hina hovered above Kenshin's shaking form, glaring at anyone who dared take a step closer to him. Hiko spotted the injured Ponyta in the middle of the road and it didn't take long to figure out what had led up to this conflict.

"A man who strikes a child is cruel. A man who strikes a Pokémon is a monster. You will pay for your crimes against humanity with blood." Hiko gripped the hilt of his still-sheathed sword and vanquished the man, who seemed very small at the time, with a single technique.

_"Ama Kakeru Ryu no Hirameki!"_ In the time it took Kenshin to blink, the man that was assaulting him closely resembled a pin-cushion that was assaulted by fist-sized pins. Hiko proceeded to resheath his sword and glare at the rest of the crowd. Seeing the action was over and there was potential for more injury on their part if they stuck around, the crowd dispersed.

"Kenshin, are you awake?" The large man knelt down to the curled up ball that was his baka deshi. He moved to examine the disfigured arm, only to hear the boy cry out and start trembling again. "Baka, you should have stayed put."

Hiko looked up to see the injured Ponyta slowly walking towards them. "You are free to go wherever you want, young one. No human will be able to harm you as long as you stay in the forests." To the man's chagrin, the fire Pokémon didn't retreat. Instead, it gazed at his deshi in a look that resembled admiration and gratitude.

"No, I don't suppose you would know how to be a wild Pokémon. Nowadays many of your kind are hatched in captivity." Hiko sighed and rested a hand on the Ponyta's nose. He expected it to shy away and was surprised when it actually leaned in to his touch. "I don't suppose you have a name, either. Let's get you and my baka deshi to the Pokémon Center and we'll decide what to do with you."


	10. Affection

**Disclaimer: Do I really need to say it? I don't own Pokémon or Rurouni Kenshin. The violent man from last chapter, however, belongs to me ^^;**

Chapter 10: Affection

Kenshin tried to stifle a cry as Hiko lifted his slight form, but he eventually succumbed to the pain and let the tears fall freely from his eyes. Hina let out a soft note and glanced at the injured Ponyta whom was following them before approaching it. The two conversed for a while before both catching up to Hiko. Hiko had offered to return the fire Pokémon to its Pokéball, which he had found amongst the supplies of the wagon, but it adamantly refused.

Having done his fair share of commenting on stubborn individuals, Hiko was determined to remain indifferent. He was glad once they made it to the Pokémon Center; he was starting to worry about his apprentice. The eyes of the small boy that Hiko had once seen burn with the passion of a thousand Charizards were gone. In their place were sad violet eyes that reminded him of Hina when she first hatched. Helpless and scared.

"Kenshin, you're going to be fine." Hiko tried to comfort the boy, but his uneasiness was apparent. His father-instincts had yet to fully develop. "We're going to get you fixed up then we'll be on the road again by tomorrow. You haven't even seen a Flaafy yet, have you? Or a Mankey?"

He smiled when Kenshin's eyes lit up at the mention of Pokémon. Seeing this was the best way to comfort the boy, he continued.

"Those Mankey are almost as much of a pain as the Spearow. And you've probably heard the Zubat at night, haven't you? I'll take you into one of their caves so you can see where they live. We should keep away from the Spearow, though. They can be quite territorial. Those Pecks hurt!" He felt the boy stiffen when Hiko placed him on the waiting cot. Nurse Joy, having already received word of the injured boy by a spectator of the fight, had already prepped the Chansey on what to expect.

"The most serious injury is his left arm. The broken bone will need to be splinted before it can heal." The Chansey nodded before retrieving the necessary supplies. It came back with four carefully cut slabs of wood and a ton of bandages. Kenshin trembled at the sight of the materials, but Hiko distracted him once again.

"You said you like Gyarados, right? I knew of a certain trainer in the Whirl Islands that breeds and raises Magikarp. How would you like me to buy you one of your own when we get there?" Hiko only paused to take a short breath, not wanting his deshi's attention to be drawn towards the pain in his arm again or the anxiety of treatment.

"You know, that Ponyta you saved really seems to like you. She seems to be getting along well with Hina, too. She has no desire to return to the wild and I think she'd be happy as your partner." Hiko smirked when Kenshin gasped at this.

"Ano…Shishou…what about the Dratini?"

"Baka deshi, you can have more than one friend. I have Hina, Fudo, Takeshi, Katsumi, and Sorano. All of which I care about with all my heart. Now you'll have a Ponyta, an unhatched Dratini, and soon a Magikarp. You're already growing to be a strong trainer."

Kenshin smiled at the compliment, but yelped when Nurse Joy handled his left arm. He tried to pull the injured limb against his chest, but Hiko grabbed his shoulder. The action sent an excruciating amount of pain through his arm and the boy cried out again.

"Stay still, boy. Let Nurse Joy do her job." The large man awkwardly wiped the tears from Kenshin's cheek, the calming motion stemming the boy's panic. "I'll show you the world, Kenshin. You wouldn't believe how many different types of Pokémon there are in this region alone. There are so many that we haven't even discovered yet. Over in Whirl Islands, there is said to be an ancient, very powerful Pokémon. I have only heard legends about it myself, but some say my master even met it!"

"If it is legendary…wouldn't it be very powerful? Like Mew?"

"Perhaps it is not as powerful as Mew or Giratina, but certainly along those lines. It is said to only be rivaled by Kyogre in its rule over the sea."

Hiko noticed the boy was no longer as tense and before and stole a glance at his deshi's arm. It was already in a splint and the Chansey was working its magic. The man could recognize Wish from a mile away. The bright ball of light that was once five feet in the air was almost in contact with Kenshin's arm. Once it reached the injured limb, it would be healed. "Baka deshi…just remember to listen to me from now on."

Kenshin nodded sleepily and to Hiko's relief, kept drifting in and out of sleep. After giving the child a few more encouraging words and bidding him do nothing more than rest, Hiko stepped out of the room. After corresponding briefly with Nurse Joy, Hiko re-entered the room to find Kenshin asleep. The Wish was already completed and the boy's arm was healed. The Chansey were removing the splints gently, careful not to wake the sleeping child.

Hiko sank into the chair in the corner of the room and sipped some sake from his favorite dish. He fingered the hilt of the Sakabatou, grateful Nurse Joy returned it to him after yet another bystander brought it to the Pokémon Center. Who knew there could actually be good people in Mahogany Town? No matter, they would be leaving as soon as possible. There was no sense in staying as it would only stir up trouble.

"Baka deshi…" Hiko muttered, taking another sip of sake. He was beginning to realize that the child meant more to him than even his precious sake. Perhaps he was ranked right up there with his Pokémon. He stole another glance at the sleeping boy and marveled at the powers of Pokémon. It wasn't long before weariness also took over Hiko now that he was assured everything was well.

He was expecting pain, but there was none. There was just a little bit of stiffness. Kenshin finally opened his eyes and gazed at his now healed arm. He had never seen a Wish in full action; he had never suffered any serious injuries before. His first thoughts were about his master, anticipating the anger that would be directed towards him for disobeying his orders.

"I see you're awake, baka deshi." Kenshin jumped and glanced at the chair in the corner that held his master. To his surprise, the large man didn't look angry or annoyed. It was something more along the lines of relieved.

"I hope this taught you to always listen to your shishou. If you hadn't wandered off and gotten yourself involved without fully appraising the situation, you wouldn't have gotten overpowered so easily." As Hiko lectured the boy, he noticed Kenshin's face fell. Rightfully so.

"In any case, if you're feeling all right, we may as well leave. We lost a whole day due to your stupid stunt. And if you have any qualms about walking during the night, you don't need to worry. You slept all afternoon so you should be fine." Hiko smirked as Kenshin groaned, sitting up with relative ease. "Oh, and let's go pick up your new Ponyta, whom I took the liberty of naming Komako for obvious reasons."

"So she's…all right?" Kenshin stiffened at the mention of the Ponyta, but relaxed quickly when he heard the name. "Where is she?"

"She recovered long before you did, boy. Get up and let's be on our way, now."

"Ano…Shishou…I'm hungry." Hiko couldn't help but grin as he gently but discreetly helped the small boy to sit up then stand on shaky legs.

"All right, don't think of this as a reward for disobeying me, though. Let's get you some more ohagi." As the man predicted, the mention of Kenshin's favorite food put more life into the boy's step. They were met by Komako and Hina when they exited the room and headed towards the restaurant area. He ordered the boy some of the sweet rice and watched as Kenshin interacted with the Ponyta.

The strokes were tentative at first, most likely because Kenshin was afraid of being burned by the fire Pokémon's mane. As Hiko predicted, all would be well between the young Ponyta and his student. And Hiko is never wrong.


	11. Journeys, part 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin or Pokémon. I wish I owned Kenshin, because then I could do anything I wanted with him. *thinks of bed and chains and whips***

**I know I have the effects of Rage Candy Bars wrong but I wanted to make Pokémon easier to work with.**

Chapter 11: Journeys, part 2

Kenshin was getting stronger, but he didn't have nearly as much stamina as Hiko had. Plus he was so short that he had to jog to keep up with the man's fast pace. The boy also adamantly refused to ride his new Ponyta, saying he needed to walk in order to get stronger. But there were times that the boy just worked himself to the point of collapsing, and that's when Komako was forced to carry the now sleeping boy.

Hiko kept his eyes out for any Pokémon, planning to wake his apprentice up if he saw anything interesting. He saw a few Spearow, but he didn't want his curious baka deshi to get into any trouble with them so he let him sleep. He did wake him, however, when he saw a Mankey eating an Oran berry by a tree.

"Oi, baka, wake up." Hiko carelessly pushed the boy off of Komako's back, forcing him to wake up and land on his feet in order to avoid being injured.

"Shishou…what's going on?" Kenshin mumbled sleepily before catching sight of the Mankey. Said Mankey didn't pay any mind to the humans watching him; he was more than confident in his abilities despite the sight of the clearly powerful Ponyta and Dragonair.

"I've seen those before…when my mother would let me play near the edge of town, I found one and even fed it once. She didn't like Mankeys, though, so she wouldn't let me keep it."

Hiko chuckled and gestured to the Mankey which was still at ease. "You are more than welcome to catch it for yourself if you think you can make a friend out of it."

Surprisingly, Kenshin quickly shook his head. "I haven't even gotten use to Komako…it wouldn't be fair to capture another Pokémon when I'm not sure if I can give it the attention it needs. Besides, it seems happy where it is."

The large man struggled to hide his smile as showing emotion was a sure way to ruin his tough-guy façade. "Very well. Now that you're awake anyway, I have something to show you."

"Oro?"

Hiko glared at his student, unsure how else to break the child of his odd speech habits. "Why do you think I went to that strange building in Mahogany Town?"

"Um…to reminisce with an old friend?"

"No, baka." Fortunately, Kenshin didn't have the reflexes to dodge the slight blow to his head yet. He set down his pack and started digging through it until he found two items. One looked like an ordinary candy bar, except the picture of the wrapper was that of a Red Gyarados. Kenshin had once watched a TV documentary on the Red Gyarados of Lake Rage. The other was an envelope with a flower print on it.

"This is a Rage Candy Bar. It is extremely rare; only obtainable in Mahogany Town. I have a friend in Cerulean City that recently contacted me, saying if I sent him one of these delicacies, he would send me a powerful TM. I bought a few extras too, even though I had to haggle over them."

"Shishou, what TM is it?" Kenshin had often ogled at the TMs in the Pokémart, wondering how they worked.

"Explosion. It causes immense damage to your own Pokémon, but it is useful in desperate situations."

"What's the envelope for?"

"Baka, how else am I going to send it to him? Did you think I would go halfway across Kanto just to deliver a package? No, I'll send it by computer. I would have done it in Mahogany Town, but a certain baka deshi of mine decided to cause trouble."

"Why a flower print?"

Hiko's eyes narrowed as he stuffed the items back into his pack. "It was all they had! Now are you going to catch the Mankey or…never mind, it ran off already." Indeed, the small fighting Pokémon had decided to make tracks. Hiko, being too lazy to follow or not caring enough, just continued on the path. Kenshin wasn't too far behind.

As they walked, Kenshin listened to Komako and Hina conversing. For maybe the millionth time in his life, he wished he could speak Pokémon. Perhaps what they thought about was actually intellectual. Hisa, his father's Alakazam, talked to him some in his mind. But mostly it wasn't anything an eight-year-old could comprehend. What kid cared about the meaning of life or history stories? Suddenly, a thought occurred to Kenshin. It wasn't like his master to squander money on any ordinary candy bar for himself, so why did he buy extras? He voiced his thought to Hiko and the man chuckled.

"You really have no idea what these do, do you? Tell me something, Kenshin. A Pokémon can only learn four techniques at a time, right?"

"Right."

"Wrong. At least not with Rage Candy Bars. If you feed one of these to your Pokémon, the number of moves they can learn is unlimited. Think of it as a memory enhancer, only on a cellular level as well."

After that explanation and wondering about the possibilities if all of Hiko's Pokémon had eaten Rage Candy Bars, Kenshin was so absorbed in his own thoughts that he didn't even notice that his master had stopped, thus bumping into him and consequently falling on his butt. He looked in front of his master and saw a large lake with a strip of land on the other side of it and yet another equally immense lake.

"It looks like the valleys have flooded from the melting snow. These things tend to happen during spring." Hiko muttered, grinning at the fact that he was prepared for anything.

Kenshin silently wondered if Hiko was indeed wealthy enough to own shrinkable items when the man slipped a blue box with a red button on it from his pack.

"Is that what I think it is?" Kenshin gaped at the box, though it was simple in looks to those who had never seen one before. In fact, it was known that only rich people owned such items.

"If you're thinking it's a compactable boat, baka deshi, then you're right. It doesn't have a motor, but that's what Katsumi is for. He is more than capable of powering us through this lake." Hiko couldn't help but grin at the boy's obvious gawking; most were surprised that a hermit like him could afford such things. What they didn't know…

He pushed the red button and tossed the box into the water and a wooden canoe shone in white light on top of the water. It was a simple boat with traditional oars, but it was compactable nonetheless. The man also hastily released his Seadra, which greeted him tersely before allowing his trainer to hook him to the wooden boat. Katsumi grimaced at the restraints, but relished the time outside of his Pokéball.

Soon enough, they were on their way. Kenshin spotted many Pokémon on the water, but he didn't have any interest in catching them. Suddenly he spotted a ripple in the water and the last sight of a beautiful tail fin.

"Look, Shishou! A Goldeen! I didn't know they had those in Johto too!" Hiko smirked as he leaned against the side of the boat, drinking yet another dish full of sake. He didn't like boats, though they were a necessity.

"Kenshin, do you know Goldeen's main attack?" Hiko asked, testing what knowledge the boy had.

"I don't know…water attacks?"

"It usually uses Horn Attack on unsuspecting foes. That's why you have to be careful when you go into the water. I'm sure your mother had you spray on Repel before you went swimming in a lake, right?"

Kenshin nodded and contemplated what Hiko said as Katsumi continued to speed across the water as if he was gliding through air. He glanced at the Seadra to find the Pokémon was concentrating solely at the task his master had given him. They were only interrupted when they reached the other side of the lake in midday where they stopped to have lunch.

Little Kenshin was very happy to finally have his ohagi, which his shishou had been saving for him all day. Hiko, having been plagued with many bouts of seasickness, was not up to eating. It wasn't long before they were making their way across the second lake. Once again, Kenshin was keeping an eye out for Pokémon when an odd occurance happened. Apparently the boat disturbed a school of Goldeen and one of them flopped into the boat and started pecking at Hiko's feet.

At that point, Hiko was very much tempted to cause bodily harm to the water Pokémon. But being the kind and understanding man he was (when it came to Pokémon at least), he attempted to pick it up gently. But the Goldeen would have none of that and instead kept slipping through the large man's hands and consequently jabbing the outstretched limb with its horn thus causing a large string of curses to erupt from Hiko's mouth. The Goldeen had run out of air and Hiko had run out of patience, so the water Pokémon chose that time to make its escape by flopping right back out of the boat.

All Kenshin had to say was, "Oro?"


	12. Legends

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon or Rurouni Kenshin. I also don't own the legends of creation told in Delongbi's ****An Apple a Day**** combined with a single idea of my own. I don't own the legends of the Burned Tower which I got from **

Chapter 12: Legends

Kenshin released Komako as soon as they reached land for the second time; he found the young Ponyta did not enjoy time in her Pokéball like some Pokémon did. She was similar to Hina like that, but unfortunately she did not have the ability to float over water like the Dragonair did.

After a silent smile that seemed to satisfy Katsumi, he was returned to his Pokéball with the promise of a treat of Cheri berries when they reached Ecruteak City. Kenshin was happy to stretch out his legs and even run ahead of his master for a short distance before catching the scent of smoke and soot. As Hiko caught up, Kenshin asked him if there was the possibility of a forest fire.

"No, baka deshi. That's the scent of The Burned Tower."

"Oro? If the tower is burned, then why don't they just tear it down?" Kenshin ducked to avoid a blow to the head, but wasn't fast enough to blow a softer one to his stomach.

"Idiot. Would you burn down a legendary monument? I think not. I know you grew up in Kanto, but surely you've heard all of the stories of the Legendary Pokémon." When Kenshin shook his head, Hiko groaned. "Let's start at the beginning. How about the Creator?"

When Kenshin confirmed he was clueless, Hiko began.

"In the beginning, there was only the Creator. The Creator, obviously, created the world, the sun, the moon, the universe, and two beings to occupy this universe. These two beings have come to be known as Arceus and the Great Dragon. For a time, these two creatures roamed the universe together, exploring every nook of the Creator's work and enjoying life. But soon, Arceus and the Great Dragon grew restless and lonely. The Creator saw this, and granted them each, for a time, the power to create."

"The power to create? How can something have the power to create?"

"Boy, how am I supposed to know? It's not like I was around back then! As I was saying, the Creator gave the Great Dragon and Arceus the power to create. Now, Arceus believed that the qualities of intelligence and power would allow creatures to live peacefully together and work out problems in a fair, smart manner. Thus, Arceus created Pokemon. He granted each species of Pokemon intelligence and specific powers similar to his own. Yet, to made sure there was a balance of power among Pokemon, Arceus created types, each with weaknesses and strengths, so no single Pokemon, no matter how strong, could become all powerful."

"Like how fire types are weak against water types and strong against grass types?" Kenshin asked his eyes wide with wonder. He had certainly never heard any stories like this when he was growing up.

"Yes, exactly like that. Now, The Great Dragon, on the other hand, believed that granting creatures intelligence and power would only create problems. He wished to create organisms that enjoyed life and did not have to worry about the dilemmas of the world. Thus, the Great Dragon created animals. Animals had instincts to survive, but lacked intelligence so they were never preoccupied with morals or laws."

"Animals? What are those?"

"I'll get to that in a second. Arceus and the Great Dragon were satisfied with their work. For a time they enjoyed seeing their creations thrive and grow. But, as you should know by now, peace never lasts. Soon the Great Dragon saw that many Pokemon were using their superior intelligence to kill and consume animals for food instead of other Pokemon, and he grew angry. Arceus argued that the Great Dragon's creatures, with little intelligence and power, were simply inferior to Pokemon and thus they were prone to die out. This of course, made the Great Dragon even angrier, and soon there was a bitter fight between the two.

"The Creator saw that a compromise was needed to cease the fight. He told Arceus and the Great Dragon that all creatures deserved to live, even those that were unintelligent and not powerful. He demanded that the two of them work together to create a creature that would be able to prevent Pokemon from wiping out the animals while allowing both animals and Pokemon to continue living peacefully. Neither the Dragon nor Arceus liked the situation, but they dared not argue with the Creator so they got to work."

"And that's how humans came to exist?"

"Precisely. The Great Dragon insisted, of course, that this creature be an animal, for animals had the disadvantage. Arceus wished the creatures to be both intelligent and powerful, but the Great Dragon countered that the creature would just be another Pokemon if it were both intelligent and powerful. In the end, the two compromised by creating a creature that was an intelligent animal, but lacked power, also known as the human being."

"But what about animals? Did humans make a difference?"

"Quite, boy! Let me finish and I'll answer your questions later. As I was saying, Arceus and the Great Dragon created human beings so that both animals and Pokemon could live together peacefully. Arceus, however, believed that if humans lacked power, they would never be able to relate to or understand Pokemon. Being paranoid, Arceus thought that without this power eventually the Pokemon would be wiped out, not the animals. Without telling the Great Dragon, Arceus added a bit of its own power to the human gene pool so that one in maybe 10,000 humans would have a power similar to that of a Pokemon. Because so few humans had power, the Great Dragon did not discover Arceus's doings until much later, and by then the Creator had taken back the power of creation."

"People with powers like a Pokémon's?"

"Yes, this power is often referred to as the "gift." Like the powers of Pokemon, it can come in many different forms- seventeen to be exact. Each form of power corresponds with a Pokemon type and can have various levels of strength. A human with a weak gift will work better with the specific type of Pokemon his or her power corresponds with, but a human with a strong gift can actually have powers similar to Pokemon. For instance, a strongly gifted flying type human may have control of the wind, a water type may have control over water, a bug type may be a particularly skilled climber, and so on. That's what Arceus intended to happen. And to further ensure that life would be balanced between animals and Pokemon, eight humans were chosen to rule each region, and a handful of legendary Pokemon were commanded to guard these regions. Kanto, for instance, is guarded by Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres, while Joto is guarded by Entei, Raikou, Suicune, Lugia, and Ho-oh. Hoen is guarded by the Regis, Kyogre, Groudon, and Rayquaza, and Sinnoh is guarded by Dialga, Palkia, Uxie, Azelf, and Mespirit."

"I remember stories about Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres. They once had a fight when a greedy trainer tried to capture them and alter their environment, so Lugia had to break it up with the help of the Pokémon Master. Right?"

Hiko nodded gruffly before turning towards his deshi again. "Or so the stories say. Ash Ketchum is involved with many stories involving legendary Pokémon."

"What does all this have to do with the Burned Tower, though?"

"Ah, I'm getting there. Now in Johto, there is, as you know, a town called Ecruteak City. This city is chalk full of history and legends because of its two towers; the Tin and Brass Towers. The Brass Tower, with gleaming golden-colored panels, was, according to legend, the perch of Lugia. Once as majestic as the Tin Tower, the Brass Tower was burned to the ground by a mysterious fire. This chased the two Legendaries away, but not before Ho-Oh gave new life to three Pokémon when the tower was destroyed: Entei, Raikou, and Suicune. Lugia left its home of the Brass Tower to live forevermore in the depths of the Whirl Islands, while Ho-Oh began to fly around the world, searching, and waiting for a day when it would find a trainer with a pure heart."

"But I still don't understand why they just don't tear the damaged tower down and build a new one." Kenshin avoided yet another blow to the head.

"Then you're not old enough to understand, baka. Any mature person would be able to see what kind of historical value this place holds for Johto." Hiko growled and this time connected with the back of his deshi's head.

"I still have one question, Shishou." Kenshin rubbed the back of his head, grimacing.

"What is it, boy?"

"What about the animals you mentioned? Where did they all go?"

"Ah, where do you think the meat we eat comes from? Cows are not Pokémon, they are animals. And as for your other question, there are no animals left in Pokémon regions. Instead, they all live in regions where Pokémon are strictly outlawed such as America and Japan. They are far across the sea and not even my own master has been there. We get all of our meat imported from those regions. You'll probably never see a live animal in your life, but you're not missing much."

"Oh…" while Kenshin was disappointed that he wouldn't be able to make that judgment for himself, he understood the need to keep animals and Pokémon separate.

"Now we're almost here so no more silly talk about tearing down the Burned Tower."

"Yes, Shishou."


	13. Fire & Dance

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon or Rurouni Kenshin. How else am I supposed to say it? I give up! The lawyers can have them! Gah!**

**I have two side notes: This was originally going to be two chapters, but they were both too short for a whole chapter and combined they are too long! So I give up! They can stay as two chapters! Also…**

**We will now have a moment of silence for Frik and Frek, two of the best frogs I have ever owned. I didn't put Frik's spirit to rest properly before buying Frek so he died before the week was out. I have learned my lesson and now will put both of their spirits to rest.**

Chapter 13: Fire & Dance

The smell of burnt wood and soot in the air continued to tickle Kenshin's nose even when they reached the city. The scenery surprised the boy; instead of a gloomy historical monument of a town, it was bustling with activity.

Kenshin paused to admire what Hiko told him was a "fire breather," a person that controlled flames and breathed them out of his mouth like a Pokémon for entertainment purposes. The boy asked Hiko whether he had ever done such a thing just to get a gruff response.

"No. It is a foolish activity that relies on illusions and how resistant to flames you can train your throat to be. The sport of fire breathing is just that, a sport and nothing more. It does not provide you with any insight in life or any reasonable means by which to live by."

Kenshin thought about this for a moment and solemnly agreed. However, he still enjoyed watching the fire breathers. The boy turned his attention to the Pokémon that accompanied the performers and found he recognized many of them.

"Look, Shishou! A Charmeleon!" Before the man could object, Kenshin had sped off to get a closer look.

"Hello there!" The fire breather, obviously the Charmeleon's trainer, spoke cheerfully and the fire Pokémon greeted the boy in the same manner.

"Would you fancy a battle of fire Pokémon with me and Hiroki?" The man gestured towards his Charmeleon who grinned joyously. Kenshin was about to mumble that he wasn't sure when Hiko approached the pair.

"Baka deshi, how do you expect to battle if you forget your Pokémon?" The large man gestured toward Komako, who was trotting up behind him, and smirked. "You never do anything right. Now let's see how you battle."

"Wait right there, Haru!" Kenshin jumped in surprise when a lady in a red kimono ran up to the fire breather with a Flareon at her heels. "You weren't going to start a battle without me, were you?"

"Oro? What…"

"You didn't even introduce yourself before you were going to get started, did you? I'm Akako Mika and this is my Flareon, Ayame, and this is my husband, Akako Haru and his Charmeleon, Hiroki. I'm one of the eight dancers of the Kimono Dance Theater."

"Hiko Seijirou. Introduce yourself, Kenshin."

"Oro…Himura Kenshin. Am I battling both of you?"

"Of course, that is why two of us are here! You do have two Pokémon, right?"

"Erm…"

"I will be battling alongside Kenshin." Hiko sighed, wondering how his apprentice managed to get into these situations.

"Good! This will be a double battle, then!" Mika grinned and Ayame rushed in front of her trainer. Komako did the same as Hiko fished out a Pokéball from his pack.

"A fire Pokémon battle, right? Then come out, Fudo." At the press of a button, the Charizard emerged from its Pokéball. If the other two trainers were impressed or nervous, they sure didn't show it.

"We can take them, Hiroki! Start off with a Flamethrower!" The Charmeleon hastily spat out a steady stream of flames towards Fudo, which the Charizard easily brushed away with a flap of his large wings. Kenshin was so distracted by the flames that he didn't notice the Flareon bounding towards Komako, preparing to tackle it.

"Um…tackle it!" At Kenshin's command, Komako reared up then charged, but the Flareon was too fast. The Flareon rushed into a Quick Attack and circled the Ponyta once before ramming into her side.

"Komako! Don't fall! Use Ember!" Komako spat out a few short bursts of flame at the Flareon while holding her ground. Kenshin hoped it would at least do some damage. Unfortunately, the fire attack was absorbed into the Flareon's fur, making it seem even fuller.

"Kenshin, you idiot. Flareons have Flash Fire, allowing it to get stronger when hit by fire type attacks! Komako has the same ability, use it to your advantage!" Hiko growled to his apprentice, still not giving Fudo any instruction. The Charizard was batting off every single one of the Charmeleon's attacks on his own, almost bored. The cogs turned in Kenshin's head and he had an idea.

He instructed Komako to use Agility and keep dodging Ayame's attacks until the time was right. When he saw Hiroki open his mouth to use a fire attack, Kenshin leapt into action.

"Komako! Get in front of Hiroki!" The Ponyta complied, already losing energy from dodging so much. When the flames hit the fire type, the effect was immediate. Komako's mane and tail looked fuller than Kenshin had ever seen and the air around her blazed with heat.

"Good, Kenshin. Fudo, turn up the heat on Komako even more." The Charizard nodded and spat out a large stream of flames that hit the Ponyta in front of him. Komako's mane and tail continued to grow and her eyes darkened.

"Komako! Roast that Charmeleon!" The Ponyta reared up and shot out a burst of flame that hit Hiroki head-on. Without further ado, the fire Pokémon was knocked out. Komako, however, seemed exhausted from the effort.

"That's it, Kenshin. I'll take care of the Flareon. Fudo, use your Dragon Claw." With a mighty roar and minimal effort, the Charizard knocked Ayame unconscious. Mika and Haru grudgingly withdrew their Pokémon, but happily congratulated Kenshin and Hiko for their win.

"Your Ponyta is a strong one for its age, Kenshin. Take good care of it!" Haru grinned, petting the fire Pokémon's head. Mika complemented Hiko on his Charizard, but the man didn't respond. Kenshin noticed Fudo was grinning at Komako slyly, exuding confidence. The young Ponyta stared at him as his tail flame burned furiously.

"Hiko-san! You should stay at the Kimono Dance Theater tonight; we are putting on a special show for the festival." Mika grinned as the man's eyes lit up. It had been too long since he had seen a show and it would be a good chance to teach his apprentice about the region's history.

-----=^.^=-----

"Kenshin, you should pay attention. I might quiz you about this later."

"Yes, shishou."

The pair was seated in the dance hall which apparently doubled as a bar. Hiko already had quite a bit to drink, but didn't seem effected by it at all. Kenshin gazed at the stage, waiting for something interesting to happen. But so far, there was only the prelude of fire breathers. He could spot Mika, who was tossing small chunks of wood into the air while Ayame burned them into cinders. When they fell from the air, they burned in a way that made it look like glitter in the air.

Amongst the rest of the fire Pokémon, a Quilava with a shiny red collar was continuously jumping in the air while using Flame Wheel, which involved the flames on its back and neck expanding and contracting in a way that made it look like a wheel as the Pokémon circled in the air. An Arcanine and a Houndoom spat flames across the room while circling each other. The only Pokémon Kenshin saw that wasn't actually a fire type was a Gligar whose Swift added a nice effect of shining stars to the flames licking at the air.

None too soon, the flames dimmed and one by one the fire Pokémon disappeared backstage. Squinting to see despite the lack of light from the fire, Kenshin could make out two sets of yellow rings glowing from the darkness. Suddenly he felt a rush from cold air hit him from the side, making him shiver as he had already adjusted to the heat of the flames. He was remained distracted by the chills and noticed the air started taking on hues of odd colors. He began to make out red eyes from the shadows in the middle of the golden rings.

As the figure emerged from the darkness, Kenshin finally recognized it as an Umbreon. Alongside it, there was a woman in a black kimono with similar glowing rings. He couldn't figure out how the woman got the rings on her kimono to glow like an Umbreon's rings.

"Kenshin, stop gawking at the woman and pay attention to what's going on around you. Where do you think this cold air is coming from?"

Kenshin glanced towards the source of the freezing gust of wind and saw the source. A Glaceon was blowing the air from its mouth alongside a woman in a light blue kimono. She was projecting the soft glowing lights into the air that caused the odd hues. She was also controlling another set of lights that projected onto the other woman's kimono, causing the yellow glow.

Suddenly Kenshin's other side felt warm, but he didn't have to guess what that was from. Ayame was heating air that Mika was blowing from another fan, causing a clash of temperatures that made him uncomfortable. The stage lit up, revealing a Jolteon and a woman in a yellow kimono with white zigzags and an Espeon next to another woman in a light purple kimono.

The Espeon flicked its tail and another set of lights appeared behind the crowd, projecting a hologram of a large tower onto the back curtains of the stage.

"That's the Burned Tower, boy. Or what it once was."

Kenshin nodded briefly before his attention was taken again by two large forms soaring overhead. It turned out to be mechanical versions of two Pokémon Kenshin had never seen before. One was a large bird with golden feathers and a golden crest on its head. The other looked more like a whale than a bird, though Hiko told him otherwise. It was white with violet plates on its back and on its eyelids that resembled the color of Kenshin's eyes. Its wings were smooth though it had feathers; they were just longer and more neatly placed than the other bird's feathers.

The white bird swooped down on the side the cold air was coming from and the golden one on the opposite end. Just when Kenshin thought the two figures would crash into each other, they were averted by a blast of electricity and the help of the Umbreon and Espeon. Kenshin had no idea Umbreons could learn Psychic.

Suddenly it started to rain! No, it wasn't raining, Kenshin soon realized, it was a Vaporeon spraying water lightly all over the room to give the effect of rain. But somehow, nobody got wet.

"It was a storming night like this when tragedy struck," a voice from somewhere that Kenshin couldn't decipher sang out, "The two great powers of the Brass and Tin Towers clashed in a mighty battle that would change history."

For effect, the Jolteon let out a blinding Thunder Bolt that filled the air with light for a split second. In the shadows, Kenshin could spot the other women moving, but he couldn't figure out any pattern. If this was a dance, it sure was an odd one.

The two large figures swooped overhead again, hovering next to the walls. The colors off of the golden bird shimmered brilliantly in the momentary flash while the other bird's feathers gleamed smoothly. Atop one of the birds, he saw a woman in a dark blue kimono performing intricate dance moves with fans as she jumped from bird to bird as they passed each other. She was then joined by Mika, in her bright red kimono, whose movements mirrored the other woman's in the opposite direction.

Suddenly the winds and rains stopped, though Kenshin could not imagine why. The other figures on the ground had also disappeared, save the Espeon and Umbreon who were keeping the artificial legendaries afloat psychically.

"No human or Pokémon could stop the force of the two Titans clashing. The sky was blackened with smoke as the Brass Tower burned under Ho-oh's fury." Suddenly the hologram of the tower changed, when once before all seemed peaceful in the picture the tower was now engulfed in flames.

"Until the Legendary Dogs came into existence."

Now Kenshin saw where the Jolteon, Flareon, and Vaporeon had gone. They were sort of…dressed up. He sort of recognized the images from a story book he found when he was too young to read, but he was always curious about one of the dogs especially. His eyes were locked on the Vaporeon, disguised as Suicune. Now, Kenshin realized, he was about to hear the legends of his all time favorite Legendary Pokémon.

"Amidst the fighting, the Dogs were born. They emerged from the ashes of the Burned Tower and immediately the rain stopped, as if awaiting their arrival. Suicune counseled Lugia while Entei settled with Ho-oh while Raikou calmed the raging thunder that had gathered in anticipation, and both birds went their separate ways. Ho-oh decided he would search the world for a trainer with a pure heart and to this day Lugia has made her home in the Whirl Islands, denying most human contact."

Kenshin didn't pay attention to the rest of the dance, but he was sure by the way his master had remained entranced that it was quite a show. He just wasn't that interested in women yet. No, what caught his attention was Suicune. While not exactly the same as the pictures in his story book, Kenshin saw some similarities between the costume and the picture. Now he wanted to see the real thing.

**A/N: Oro! I'm sorry this one took so long! The dance just didn't want to come together and it was sort of rushed at the end! Gomen! Gomen!**


	14. Kaoru

**Disclaimer: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin or Pokémon. I do still own two dogs, two snakes, and one frog.**

Chapter 14: Kaoru

After the dance, Kenshin was restless and very much anxious to retrieve Komako from the Pokémon Center. Hiko, however, did not seem to want to leave the dance hall for he had struck up a conversation with the woman in the light blue kimono; Kenshin didn't catch her name. Fed up with his master's aloofness, Kenshin stalked off, completely forgetting about what happened the last time he was separated from the man.

Thankfully Kenshin had a good memory and was able to find the Pokémon Center with ease. When he got there, he couldn't help but notice a girl feeding her Eevee blue Pokéblocks. He didn't approach her, however, instead he made a bee-line for the front desk. He retrieved Komako's Pokéball and released her immediately, knowing her dislike for the thing. He also took the liberty of picking up his master's Pokémon, releasing Hina as well. The Dragonair greeted him kindly while he rubbed Komako's head.

"That looks like a pretty powerful Dragonair." Kenshin turned around, startled to find the girl he had noticed before was approaching him. The Eevee strode next to her, its fur so smooth and shiny Kenshin could have sworn it was glass. "How about a battle?"

Not only did Kenshin feel uncomfortable battling with Hina, but he doubted the little fluff ball could take on such a powerful Pokémon. "No! I mean, Hina doesn't belong to me. She is my master's Pokémon. The only Pokémon that I have is Komako here." He gestured towards the Ponyta, secretly hoping she would lose interest in battling. He didn't want to push Komako too hard; she had only just recovered from a battle.

"That's fine! This is Aiko, my Eevee."

"Eevee." The small Pokémon cried, leaping into the girl's arms. "Oh and I'm Kamiya Kaoru of the Kimono Dance Hall. What's your name?"

"Himura Kenshin…if we're going to battle, Kaoru-dono, we might as well go outside." Kenshin sighed while Kaoru grinned as they all exited the Pokémon Center.

-----o.o-----

"Aiko! Use Sand Attack and follow up with a Quick Attack!" Kaoru yelled, and the Eevee moved into action faster than Kenshin could respond.

"Komako!" He hesitated as the fire type tried to shake the sand from its eyes only to be rammed into from the side by Aiko. "Don't back down! Stomp!"

Komako reared up and slammed her hooves into ground, right where Aiko had been only moments before.

"Bring its attack down! Growl! Then Shadow Ball!"

_Shadow Ball??? Since when could Eevee learn ghost type attacks?!_

Kenshin didn't have much time to think, however, before his Ponyta began to suffer from the Eevee's growl (which sounded more like a loud shriek).

"Dodge it, Komako!" But the Ponyta was still trying to shake the sand from her eyes and locate her adversary. Kenshin watched in horror as Aiko's mouth opened and a ghostly purple sphere started forming inside of it.

"Komako! Get out of the way!" Kenshin knew there was nothing more he could do. The purple orb exploded on contact with the Ponyta and Komako fainted. Kenshin scowled and rushed over to his partner, Hina floating not too far behind him.

Komako whinnied weakly as the boy placed his hand on her head, rubbing it soothingly over her snout. "You did a good job…let's get you back into the Pokémon Center."

Kenshin started helping his Ponyta get to her feet when he heard a voice in the distance.

"Kamiya Kaoru! You were supposed to be back at the hall over an hour ago!" A woman in a purple kimono approached the pair, alongside her an Espeon. Kenshin recognized them both from the show and watched the scene with interest.

"Gomennasai, Kyoko-sama. I was only feeding Aiko some blue Pokéblocks like you instructed me to when this boy caught my eye…I thought he was strong so I wanted to battle him. But I was wrong."

"Oh, this is Kenshin, the one I suppose Hiko-sama told me about. Hair such as his is not common in this region. I am Kyoko, assistant master of the Kimono Dance Hall, and this is Murasaki, my Espeon."

"Nice to meet you, Kyoko-dono." After the brief introductions, Kyoto went back to scolding Kaoru while Kenshin walked Komako back into the Pokémon Center.

-----O.O-----

It wasn't until much later that Komako was healed and the three of them went back to the dance hall. It was there that Hiko had the audacity to scoff at Kenshin in front of everyone for being beaten by an Eevee. At that point, Kaoru had taken much offense and whacked the large man on the head with an unexpected attack with a bokken, one later revealed to be an instrument in one of her favorite pastimes, swordsmanship.

"You see, Hiko-sama," Kyoko was muttering apologetically to Hiko, who was nursing a large lump on his head, "Kaoru isn't much of a dancer at all. In fact, we have long since decided that despite her parent's dying wishes, it would not be appropriate for her to become one of us. We are in need of a Leafeon, but it isn't what Kaoru wants. So in exchange for our…services…today, we need a favor. We know you are headed to the Whirl Islands, don't even bother denying it. Psychic types know all."

Kyoko gestured towards Murasaki, who was asleep on a pillow in the corner, before continuing.

"Kaoru has a distant cousin in the Whirl Islands, he goes by the name Sagara Sanosuke. He would be the more appropriate choice to hone Kaoru's talent." Hiko nodded in agreement, not denying the boisterous girl had talent. It wasn't every day a person got a hit in on the master of Hiten Mitsurugi, nevertheless a child.

"Fine, Kenshin and I will escort her to the Whirl Islands. But I have only one pupil, and that is Kenshin. Kaoru will have to learn from her cousin when we arrive. And you do remember the circumstances in which we are going there…"

"Kaoru will be fine." A new voice emerged from the shadows, revealing herself to be the woman wearing a black and gold kimono. A handsome Umbreon strode alongside her, glaring at Hiko and Kenshin. "I am Usagi, and this is my partner, Kira. He is wary of strangers, so keep your distance."

The woman glanced towards Hiko and Kenshin before speaking again. "Team Rocket, along with other organizations, has been plaguing this nation for as long as we can remember. Kaoru will be an asset to you. Aiko, her Eevee, comes from a very powerful line of Pokémon. Kira and Murasaki are her parents. She has access to a very unusual move pool which allows her advantage over many, if not all opponents. And Kaoru has hidden talents of her own, that of which goes beyond hitting people in the head with a wooden stick. They will not be burdens."

Hiko nodded, admittedly a bit intimidated by the woman. Kenshin was all but frozen in fear; the woman looked and sounded like authority and wisdom. "Very well. We are leaving town tonight."

"Tonight, Shishou?" Kenshin exclaimed, relishing in his ability to speak again.

"Yes, we have lost enough time. We have a lot of ground to cover before we can even think of making it to the next town."

"Yes, Shishou. Shall I fetch Kaoru-dono?"

When Hiko nodded, Kenshin scurried off, happy to get out of the room. He approached Kaoru's room and knocked tentatively, surprised when it opened right away.

"Am I really leaving?" The girl inquired, staring at Kenshin.

"Yeah, you're going to be traveling with us." He expected the girl to be sad and upset about having to leave her home because some stupid adults said so, but apparently said adults knew Kaoru well.

"Yay! I can finally leave this boring town!" With that, Kenshin was successfully hug-tackled.

"Oro…"


	15. Journeys, part 3

**Disclaimer: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin or Pokémon. Though I do admit this fic is coming along quite nicely…and I do own the rest of the Kimono Dance Hall women! (character wise at least)**

Chapter 15: Journeys, part 3

"Hurry up, Kenshin. Quit looking at all of the Pokémon; we're already behind schedule!"

Kenshin, who had been watching a group of Meowth as their eyes shone in the dark, glanced at his master. Kaoru was not too far behind the large man; needless to say she was use to these types of Pokémon since they were around her home town.

Admittedly, Kenshin had seen some of these Pokémon in Kanto. But they were never in their natural habitats, only brought in by trainers to be groomed. Kenshin grinned as Komako nudged his back, urging him forward.

Aiko, asleep in Kaoru's arms, stirred at the sound of a passing family of Rattata and Raticate. But for the most part, everything was peaceful.

"Kenshin, I hope you've found time to practice what I've taught you. We'll be having another lesson tomorrow."

Although it would have been appropriate for Kenshin to groan, he was more excited than anything at the prospect of learning more about the mysterious sword style. His experiences with the Ryu Tsui Sen were mostly successful and he was ready to move on.

The boy was distracted from his thoughts when Kaoru yawned and Komako nudged him in the back. Figuring out what his Ponyta was trying to say to him, he approached Kaoru.

"Kaoru-dono," Kenshin started, his voice soft as the girl turned towards him, "If you like, you can ride on Komako and get some rest. You're probably not use to so much walking yet."

Kaoru nodded silently and the group stopped just long enough for the girl to climb onto Komako's back. After a little more walking, Kenshin heard Kaoru whisper, "Arigatou…" before falling asleep.

-----^.^-----

They had finally stopped when the moon was high in the sky. Hiko said it was time to rest and Kenshin was more than happy to comply. They all slept in until late morning and after a light breakfast of rice balls, they continued on their journey.

"Kenshin, it's time to learn the _Dou Ryu San_." The man spoke without even stopping, expecting his student to pay attention while on the move as well. But Kenshin was once again distracted, this time by Magnemite that was resting by a tree. Hiko sighed and lifted his sword.

"_Dou Ryu San!_" Hiko yelled, getting Kenshin's attention as the boy was showered with a barrage of dirt and rocks.

"Oro…" Swirly-eyed Kenshin was now lying on the ground as Kaoru giggled.

-----.-----

It wasn't too long before Kenshin recovered, discovering himself riding on Komako's back. "Shishou! What was that for?!"

Hiko smirked at the boy's annoyance. "You weren't paying attention, so I had to give you a demonstration. It's not my fault you're too weak to take a single attack."

"Oro…what attack was that?"

"If you were paying attention, you would know that was the _Dou Ryu Sen_. Are you ready to learn it now?"

Kenshin rubbed his head which was sporting a rather large bump and nodded.

"Good. Stop riding around on your Ponyta like a lazy ass and take up your sword." Kenshin scowled at his master, but hopped down from Komako's back and drew his Sakabatou.

"As you saw from the demonstration, this move involves using your sword to send rocks and dirt flying towards your opponent. Its effect is similar to a Sand Attack, or it might knock you out if you're a baka deshi." After receiving another scowl and pretending he didn't see it, Hiko continued.

"Now if you're ready to pay attention, I'll show you how it's done." Hiko lifted his sword and without even giving the boy time to prepare, brought it down and dragged it across the ground. Kenshin was once again showered with rocks and dirt, but he was ready for it this time.

"Good. Now you try it while we continue walking."

-----#_#-----

At the end of three hours, there was a tired and irritable Hiko, a grouchy and violent Kaoru, a dirty and huffing Ponyta, and a mildly annoyed Dragonair. Not to mention an exhausted boy riding upon the Ponyta's back. All of said characters had been hit with, covered in, and were downright tired of dirt and rocks.

Kenshin had a hard time mastering this one. His arms didn't have strength enough to aim the flying debris in the right direction; though he had little trouble sending them flinging in whatever manner seemed possible. Now the boy was passed out with exhaustion, once again training himself to the point where he couldn't walk.

Hiko didn't say it, but he was impressed with the boy's progress. It took a lot more than two "demonstrations" for him to learn the technique from his own master. He glanced up at a Farfetch'd that was lurking in the tree overhead, but decided to pay it no further mind.

They still had a long way to go before they would reach Olivine City and from there, Hiko had to figure out where exactly the Whirl Islands were in the vast ocean. After all, he wasn't going to go flying on his Pokémon on the sea unprepared.

The man spotted a small herd of Tauros in the distance and considered waking his baka deshi, but instead settled with showing Kaoru. He just wasn't in the mood to deal with his student.

"Kaoru-chan, do you see that in the distance?" Hiko pointed to what, to the untrained eye, looked like a large moving dust cloud. The girl followed his finger and saw the cloud before grinning. "Those are Tauros! They're pretty rare in these parts. I want to catch one!"

The girl was about to run off when Hiko grabbed her ponytail. Kaoru fell on her butt, put off balance by Hiko's grip. "First of all, no respectable trainer catches Pokémon on a whim. Second of all, Tauros are dangerous. I won't have you getting injured while you're my responsibility and you probably wouldn't be able to defend yourself."

"I can too! I have Aiko with me!" The Eevee, startled out of her sleep by the quick movement, yawned.

"Yes, and what will happen to your fluff-ball when faced with let's say…five to ten full-grown and probably vicious Tauros?"

"Oh…"

"I thought you were at least smarter than my baka deshi, but now I see I'm going to have to keep an eye on you as well."

"I'm so much smarter than your apprentice! I beat him, remember?!"

"Winning Pokémon battles and having intelligence is not the same thing. You can be an idiot with strong Pokémon and the outcome will depend on how strong the Pokémon is. What would have happened if Kenshin had the nerve to use Hina in your battle?"

Hina, who was floating along only half paying attention to the conversation before hearing her name, abruptly sped up towards Hiko and placed her head on his shoulder. He absentmindedly stroked her head while looking at the girl, who seemed deep in thought.

"I guess he might have beaten me. Does that just mean his Ponyta is weak?"

Komako snorted at the girl and shot her a death glare while Kaoru cowered.

"No, not necessarily. Both Komako and Aiko are strong, but Kenshin is not very experienced with Pokémon battles. That part has nothing to do with your intelligence or your Pokémon's strength, but a very different circumstance altogether; life. What a person goes through in their life changes how they will act in certain situations. Young children are impulsive and would probably go and try to catch a Tauros without thinking of the consequences. But someone older may have already gone down that right and received a Stomp too many, and thus already know the outcome of such a foolish attempt. That's why you should always listen to your sensei, because they usually have more experience with life and will keep you out of trouble. Remember that."

Kaoru contemplated what Hiko said and nodded. Hina gave a soft note of contentment and they all kept walking.


	16. MooMoo Ranch

**Disclaimer: I admit it! I don't own Rurouni Kenshin or Pokémon! I shall go make penance at the Holy House of Oro for my crimes…**

Chapter 16: MooMoo Ranch

Hiko smiled when he saw a building in the distance surrounded by grassy fields and Miltank grazing and resting under the starry skies. He was very familiar with this building; having visited it on multiple occasions during his own journeys. This would be the perfect place to rest for the night as he knew the couple that ran the ranch fairly well.

"Kenshin, Kaoru, this is MooMoo Ranch."

The man couldn't help but smile more when both of the children's eyes widened.

"You mean this is where they make MooMoo Milk?" Kenshin grinned, the drink having always been a favorite of his. Hiko nodded and glanced at Kaoru, who was still silent.

"Kyoko-san says MooMoo Milk is expensive and unhealthy…"

"Nonsense. It is important to get a lot of protein if you're going to be studying the way of the sword because protein builds muscle. Plus it's not expensive if you know the owners." Hina let out a soft note, also recalling memories of the couple that lived there.

-----^.^-----

After having two big glasses of MooMoo Milk, being roughly sent to bed by his shishou after a crying fit due to still painful memories and trying to deal with his parents' death, Kenshin was sound asleep in one of the spare rooms. Kaoru also had her fair share of MooMoo Milk, having finally discovered the amazing taste, and had little trouble getting to sleep.

Hiko stayed up with the couple that owned the MooMoo Ranch while sipping sake out of his favorite dish. He was surprised to learn that his friends had given life to a daughter in his absence, but he was happy for them. The three-month-old baby was asleep in her crib in the other room with the door open so her parents would hear if she had woken up.

Fujita was happy, though surprised to see his old friend. He was also anxious to hear about how such a man came to be the guardian of two children, having had no experience with children beforehand. And as far as the man could tell, Hiko did not have much in the fatherly figure department. At the mention of children, the man would huff and say they were too much trouble for a bachelor like him.

Etsu was also grateful Hiko stopped by to visit; she had not seen much of the man lately and wondered what had become of him. She always tended to fear the worst for her friend due to his dangerous lifestyle, but she was glad Hiko was all right. She offered him many more glasses of MooMoo Milk along with the children, but he graciously declined, saying it was a night for sake.

"Something is bothering you, isn't it? You only drink when you're stressed or thinking." Etsu stated, as if it were fact. "Is it Kenshin and Kaoru? You were never one for children and you always made that clear."

"Kaoru isn't a problem and she's only under my protection temporarily until we get to the Whirl Islands." For some reason unbeknown to him, he was more than willing to share this information with the couple. "Kenshin, on the other hand, is a handful."

"As little boys often are." Fujita chuckled, having had his fair share of little boys visiting his ranch and wreaking havoc.

"Well he's not as much of a trouble maker as he could be, but I don't know what to do with him." Hiko then recounted the events that lead to his guardianship of the boy while the couple listened intently.

The man stopped talking when he heard the topic of their conversation rustling in his room. He stifled a sigh when hair-going-everywhere, tired-looking-eyes Kenshin stepped into the room, dragging the green blanket behind him and looking very much younger than he was. He was trying not to be frustrated with the boy, but he didn't know what else to do.

"Shishou…"

"Go back to sleep, Kenshin." Hiko tried to make his voice rough as he often did, but he just couldn't do it this time.

"Come, Kenshin-chan. Come have some MooMoo Milk. MooMoo Milk fixes everything." Etsu smiled and took the boy's hand as the boy visibly smiled at the mention of his favorite drink.

As the woman poured the drink, she didn't stop talking to the boy. "Have you ever met a Miltank before? Some can be quite gentle, but others are more temperamental. But I have one that is especially sweet that you can meet tomorrow."

The boy's sorrow seemed to melt away as the woman spoke and he sipped his milk gratefully. "Are Miltank real strong?"

"Very. One of our own, though she isn't the best milker, is very strong in battle. Your Ponyta is resting outside with her tonight. Her best attack is called Rollout."

"Geodude learn Rollout."

"That's right. It's a very powerful attack that gets stronger the more you use it."

Kenshin continued to sip his milk as Etsu continued with her descriptions of Pokémon attacks. Soon enough, the boy could barely keep his eyes open or his mind focused. Hiko watched as the woman led Kenshin back to bed and went through the motions of tucking him in. When she got back, she shot a smile at Hiko.

"You may not be good with children yet, but these things take time. Be patient with him and yourself."

Hiko nodded and glanced back towards the boy's room, worried about his and Kenshin's future. The child slept through the rest of the night without much of a problem.

* * *

"Kenshin-chan! You mustn't go near…that one." Etsu yelled as one of the grumpier Miltanks charged at the boy. To her surprise, Kenshin easily leapt out of the way, avoiding injury.

"Don't get yourself injured, baka deshi. We still have a ways to go until Olivine City and I'm sure Komako doesn't want to be carrying you the entire way." Said Ponyta nodded in agreement and glared at Kenshin, denying him all possibility of being carried anymore. Her legs were still aching from bearing his weight for more than half the distance along with various bags and packs the day before.

Kaoru giggled at this and Kenshin scowled. "I'll be more careful, Etsu-dono."

He kept his eye on the Miltank that charged him, but the Pokémon had lost interest and was snoozing in the field. Kenshin's attempts at helping to milk the Miltank had not only been unsuccessful, but downright scary. Very few of them wanted anything to do with an exuberant, rambunctious boy that had a tendency to spray dirt and rocks all over the place with a sword technique.

Sooner than the boy would have liked, it was time to go and he was forced to say goodbye to the couple and their new baby girl who Kenshin enjoyed watching. Kaoru was more into observing the Miltank, but her efforts were stunted by Kenshin's constant interference. Hiko had been content to drink MooMoo Milk under a tree, eating wild berries that grew near the ranch house.

"I'll miss you Kenshin-chan, Kaoru-chan! Come back soon, Seijirou. It's not often that we get visitors anymore since Team Rocket began stirring up trouble along Route 39. Please be careful." Etsu smiled and dragged the children into a hug, much to Kaoru's distaste. Kenshin, however, enjoyed the attention and the affection he got from the woman.

"They'll be fine with me and Hina. Plus they have their own Pokémon." Hiko glanced at his Dragonair who was chatting with Komako and then the Eevee who was subtly rubbing against Kaoru's leg.

"Just be careful." Fujita shook hands with Hiko as they always did before the man and the two children headed off.


	17. Rocket Rumble, part 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin. I don't own Pokémon. I don't own anything!**

Chapter 17: Rocket Rumble, part 1

"Komako! Ember!" The Ponyta reared up on her hind legs and let out a small stream of flames. The fire wasn't burning as hot as before, however, because the fire Pokémon was covered in injuries and cuts. The Scyther had done a number on her and Hina and Aiko seemed to be having trouble as well with their own foes.

The day had started out calm when they left the MooMoo Ranch, but barely an hour after they left they were ambushed by five shady characters in black uniforms with red "R"s on the fronts. Kenshin vaguely recognized the uniforms from various TV news shows he watched and knew them as Team Rocket.

Hina was facing a ferocious-looking Toxicroak and seemed to be having a small amount of trouble. The fighting-poison Pokémon kept using a combination of Sucker Punch and Poison Jab that continuously dealt a massive amount of damage. Not only that, but it was very nimble and kept dodging the Dragonair's attacks. The numerous Dragonbreath and Ice Beams seemed to rarely even hit the evasive Pokémon.

Komako, despite the type advantage, was having trouble against the Scyther. Its trainer adopted a hit-and-run strategy that took advantage of the Ponyta's lack of battle experience and slow reflexes. Also, few of her attacks hit while the Scyther seemed to cut through her defenses. The bug Pokémon would be gone before Komako could even turn around to retaliate, making for a very frustrating face-off.

Aiko was facing an Ursaring that far outdid her in physical strength. While the large Pokémon attacked in lunges and swipes, Aiko would nimbly dodge and retaliate with a special attack, either Psychic or Shadow Ball. It was soon apparent, however, that Shadow Ball was ineffective against the Normal type Ursaring so she just stuck to using short bursts of psychic energy to throw off the large Pokémon's senses so she could get a hit in.

Sorano seemed like she was having the most trouble; having been pit against a Weavile that specialized in ice type attacks. As soon as the match was made, Hiko knew he was in trouble. Sorano didn't have the defenses or the health to take on a Weavile, so he withdrew her before she could take too much damage and replaced her with Fudo. The Charizard had a much easier time, being quick enough to take out the Weavile in one hit.

Takeshi seemed to be having fun with his opponent. Not only would he continuously slash at his opponent, an unlucky Electabuzz, but he finally got around to using ground type attacks on the electric type, his favorite being Sand Tomb which quickly took care of the problematic Pokémon. Once finished with his opponent, Takeshi dashed over to help Komako and put a large gash in the Scyther's back, which was withdrawn into its Pokéball before the Gabite could cause any further damage.

Fudo approached the Ursaring and got in a wrestling match with the large bear while Aiko used Helping Hand, psychically lending her energy to the Charizard. Soon enough, Hina finished off her opponent with a lucky hit with a Flamethrower, but not without taking a fair amount of damage for herself.

Seeing the time was right, both Kenshin and Hiko drew their swords while Kaoru continued to instruct her Eevee. Hiko quickly took out the owner of the Toxicroak, who was a rocket with short purple hair, with a Kuzu Ryu Sen. His purple haired opponent was now a purple haired corpse. Kenshin glared at the owner of the Scyther, an older, dark green haired man. His initial attack was blocked when the man pulled out a sword of his own.

The boy was able to narrowly avoid being hit in the back by a bullet, shot by the owner of the Ursaring, who was a chubby man with white hair. From there, Kenshin could make out a stream of curses. Apparently the man with white hair had almost hit the man with green hair with the bullet meant to hit Kenshin. After that, there were only screaming as the man with white hair now sported a large lump on his head via Kaoru's bokken.

Kenshin couldn't help but grin at the girl, who returned his smile. Hiko had little trouble taking out the owner of the Weavile and Electabuzz, who had black and blonde hair respectively, before turning towards the man with green hair. He couldn't stop what happened next. No, he should have predicted it. Kenshin wasn't strong enough or experience enough to take on an experienced swordsman.

Hiko ran towards the scene as the boy screamed in pain and Kaoru screamed in horror. Kenshin faced his master, the end of the sword coming out of his chest near his heart. Hiko would have lost it if the man hadn't run. Kenshin, his baka deshi, the only human he learned to really care about, lay bleeding with a hole through his chest and without anyone to pay for the crime.

Kaoru reached the bleeding boy first and immediately ripped off part of her kimono and pressed it to Kenshin's wound. The boy coughed loudly as Hiko and the rest of the Pokémon rushed over. Komako, injured as she was, seemed to roar at the air. Kenshin was all she had and she didn't want to lose him.

Hiko would have had a similar reaction, had he not trained himself to keep calm in such situations. "Kaoru, stay with the Pokémon. Takeshi and Hina will protect you from further attacks. Fudo, come."

The large man easily lifted Kenshin's small frame and leapt onto the Charizard's back with surprising grace. Without waiting for a response or acknowledgement from Kaoru, Fudo took off.

-----!.!-----

The short flight to Olivine City was agonizing for Hiko, not knowing what would become of his baka deshi. Why was it these things always happened to such a young boy?

"Kenshin, hang on! Don't you dare die on me! Not after all we've been through!" Hiko yelled over the roar of the wind. The voice somehow reached into the boy's subconscious and encouraged the boy to live on.

He tried to steady the unconscious form as the turbulence shook the Charizard's speeding body. He cursed when Kenshin's breathing paused only to start another cycle of coughing and gasping and prayed to Arceus when the boy's health seemed to temporarily stabilize.

"Kenshin…" Hiko muttered when he saw the boy's eyes briefly open. He wanted to smile for the boy, but found he couldn't. He wished it was his own body broken and lying there instead of his…son's.

Hiko was jerked out of his thoughts when Fudo dodged to the side when he heard the ear-splitting bang of a gun. But both Hiko and Fudo knew they didn't have time to deal with the menace; they had to get Kenshin to Olivine City.

When he spotted the city limits, he instructed Fudo to make a combee-line to the Pokémon Center.

-----=.=-----

Kaoru wasn't scared. No, it wasn't appropriate for a master of the Kamiya Kasshin Style to be scared. In fact, it was unheard of. Her father never got scared, not even when her mother died at the hands of his enemies. He never got scared even when looking death right in the eye.

But Kaoru was only a girl.

But she wasn't allowed the luxury of fear, even when she heard the unmistakable sound of a gun discharging in the distance. If the enemy had guns, even Hiko's powerful Dragon Pokémon wouldn't be much help. Unless one of them miraculously knew Harden, Iron Defense, Protect, or a similar attack.

When nothing of interest happened, she couldn't keep her mind off of Kenshin. She had known the boy for barely three days, yet she felt an odd connection towards him. At the same time, she berated herself for getting so close to someone so fragile. Fragile as in easily injured, as had just been demonstrated. Fragile as in having a loose hold on life, apparently even willing to sacrifice his own safety for his Pokémon. And as Kaoru knew it, fragility in a person causes pain for the people around them.


	18. Perspective

**Disclaimer: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin or Pokémon. I wish I owned Kenshin *grin*. But I wish I could avoid all of this injury and suffering, but it serves to build character.**

Chapter 18: Perspective

All he knew was pain, since the day Raidon took his parents. Whether it was the physical pain of being thrown to the ground during a spar with his master or swinging his sword until he felt like his arms would fall off or the emotional pain of crying alone at night with nobody to comfort him but a man that rarely showed him any compassion or sympathy at all, it was still pain.

His entire body felt cold and painful, and it was the dull, aching pain he was use to. Only more intense. His chest was on fire and his limbs were freezing and he could feel the ground shifting under him. Or was he shifting? Was he even moving at all?

He felt the wind blowing through his hair and he tried to open his eyes and saw the only person he knew he could turn to for some kind of comfort. His shishou. But something was wrong. His master's eyes weren't indifferent as they usually were, even when he was hurting form training exercises. Or crying from missing his parents. They weren't happy, either, like they were when he was enjoying his sake or sitting under the tree watching the clouds go by.

He didn't know his shishou could feel pain too, but the look in the man's eyes told him that he was so very wrong. He knew pain. There was pain. It was as simple as that. He wanted to ask his master what he was so sad about, but he found he couldn't use his voice. Or move his mouth. Or take in a deep breath.

When he did, he felt his throat fill up with a coppery liquid and could do nothing more than cough. And that's what he did. He forgot all about the look on his shishou's eyes and the pain he saw in the man's soul and coughed until his lungs felt like he could take no more. His chest hurt so much, he couldn't even cough. He couldn't even breathe. He couldn't even…cry.

-----v.v-----

Hiko's anxiety grew as his deshi's breath became even more undetectable by the minute. They couldn't get to the Pokémon Center fast enough for the large man's liking. He cursed Giratina, saying if he lost his little baka deshi he would slay the legendary Pokémon of Death himself. Even if he died trying.

At the same time, he prayed. He prayed to Mew, Celebi, Jirachi, and every other legendary Pokémon he knew as he rushed the boy into the Pokémon Center. He prayed to Arceus to spare his precious apprentice from death as Nurse Joy explained to him that the boy's lungs had been damaged so it would be unwise to use Pokémon energy to heal him as it would tax his system further.

He prayed to The Creator to let the boy that he had stolen his childhood from live to have a better life as he waited four and a half hours for Kenshin to get out of the operating room. And he swore that if Kenshin lived through this, he would make the boy's life better.

-----5.5-----

Kaoru knew that the situation was serious, but she was unprepared for Hiko's demeanor when he returned with Fudo to retrieve her. It had been over six hours since the two had left and the sun was already starting to set. The man was sad, but not completely despondent. She supposed the news was somewhat good.

She was correct when he explained to her that Kenshin was in critical condition, but alive. From what he told her, she gathered that Nurse Joy was waiting until the boy's internal organs were healed at least a little before healing him the rest of the way with the Chansey. Nonetheless, she was anxious to see the boy.

The half-hour trip seemed to take hours, but Fudo wasn't going full speed as he was before; the Charizard was tired, even after getting a boost at the Pokémon Center. As they neared Olivine City, Kaoru noticed that Hiko's eyes seemed to brighten, when normally nothing could get the man to show such emotion.

"Hiko-sama?"

"Hn? What is it?" Hiko shifted his gaze to Kaoru, who was riding on Fudo while Hiko took his place on Hina's back.

"Why are you so happy now?" At this, the man paused before answering.

"I suppose I have found something I thought I would never have." It was Kaoru's turn to stop, considering what the man just said.

"What is that, Hiko-sama?"

"Something to live for. Or someone."

And it was true. Since his own master's death, Hiko found he had no purpose in life. He went through life hating people and the destruction they caused. But when he found Kenshin, he found hope. Hope for the human race, hope for his own soul. They weren't all bad.

-----.-----

Pain was everywhere. On every part of his body was in some kind of pain or discomfort. He wanted to drift back into sleep, into nothingness. It was so hard to breathe; he wanted to just go to sleep again. But something brought him out of his painless sleep, and his natural curiosity wanted to find out what it was.

"Shishou?" He didn't know why he called out for his master, the only one he could count on to not give him the comfort he really needed. He didn't even expect the man to be there; why would he be? He wasn't there for him when he was in pain, when he was suffering. When his lungs were feeling like they had taken a Flamethrower from Fudo.

"I'm here, Kenshin." Now that shocked him. He was here?

"Don't talk. You need to rest some more." Rest? What was wrong?

"But…" He felt the man's hand against his mouth, covering it briefly.

"Be quiet. Your lungs are injured and you need to focus on breathing."

Kenshin nodded shakily to show he understood and the hand was removed. Only then did he open his eyes to the blurry image of his shishou standing over his bed.

"Here, drink." Kenshin barely had any warning when Hiko's arm snaked under the boy's back to push him into a sitting position. His vision swam as he gasped, the movement disrupting his then steady rhythmic breathing. But the disorientation passed within seconds and Kenshin found a cup pressed against his lips.

He took a tentative sip of the thick drink and smiled at the familiar taste of MooMoo Milk mixed with something bitter. When he would have questioned his master, Hiko beat him to it just so he wouldn't try to speak.

"It's just medicine, Kenshin. To help fight off the fever. You've been out for three days now and you've developed quite an infection." The large man gestured towards the boy's chest which, though now wrapped in bandages, had begun to fester while they all wanted to be sure his lungs had healed before they healed the outer wound.

After the drink, the burning in Kenshin's lungs began to lessen and his throat didn't feel as tight as before. The boy felt like he could talk at least a little, but he knew his shishou would hear nothing of it. The man didn't seem like he was in any mood for stubbornness and frankly Kenshin wasn't in the mood to argue.

Hiko rested the boy's head back onto the pillow as gently as he could before continuing to talk to him. "Boy, when you get out of here, we have a lot to see. We're in Olivine City the port city of Johto. I guess this would be the vague equivalent to Vermillion City in your region."

When the boy seemed interested, Hiko continued. "On the south end, right next to the sea, there is a light house. Stories say that once the Ampharos that provided the light got sick one day and the Pokémon Master is the one that brought its medicine all the way across the sea to heal it."

Kenshin's eyes widened. Not only did stories about the Pokémon Master intrigue him, but he had never seen or heard of an Ampharos before. As if sensing his confusion, Hiko continued.

"You remember those Mareep we saw two weeks ago?" When Kenshin nodded, Hiko smiled.

"Good, so what I teach you doesn't just leak out of your head. Anyway, Mareep evolve into Flaafy and then they evolve into Ampharos. The Glitter Lighthouse is famous for its Ampharos, Amphy. Jasmine herself, the gym leader here, cares for it. Ah, yes, we have gym leaders here too, didn't you know? Jasmine is the steel gym leader; from what I've heard she uses members of the Magnemite family and even a Steelix!"

The man paused when he noticed Kenshin's eyes starting to droop and he couldn't help but smile. "You've given me quite a scare, boy. Sleep now."

Little Kenshin complied.


	19. Recuperation

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon or Rurouni Kenshin. I also no longer own any great grandparents…my great grandmother died this morning at the age of 94. So many deaths! *cry***

Chapter 19: Recuperation

Hiko knew it wouldn't be too much longer until his deshi's lungs recovered enough to have the Chansey heal his wound the rest of the way, but he was still anxious about the boy's well-being. His fever had run his course, but not without taxing the poor child's energy so that he was pretty much useless for days.

-----P.P-----

Hiko woke up and clutched his sword, only to realize he had woken up to the sound of sheets rustling. He opened his eyes to find his ward turning in his bed, face flushed with fever. "Kenshin? Are you awake, boy?"

The boy gave a feeble nod before coughing. Hiko sighed and pushed himself to his feet, leaving his sword by the chair he had been sleeping in. He put his hand on the boy's forehead then grunted before pulling it away.

It was the night after Kenshin awoke for the first time in three days and he was plagued with a fever more ferocious than before. But then again, when one was sick fevers usually increased during the night.

The man sat at the foot of the bed, running his hand up and down the boy's back as the coughing continued. Once it subsided, he reached towards the bedside table and took the cup full of MooMoo Milk mixed with Rawst berry juice that Nurse Joy had provided. When the boy protested at drinking the bitter liquid, Hiko shushed him gently.

"This will help you get better. Nurse Joy said it will help lower your fever. It's all right." The large man gently held Kenshin's small form in an upright position while pressing the cup to the boy's lips. Kenshin drank reluctantly, only to start coughing again.

"Kuso…Kenshin…" Hiko put down the cup and rubbed the boy's back again. He would have to make a point to ask Nurse Joy tomorrow on what berries to use to cure a cough. He knew Figy, Wiki, Mago, Aguav, and Iapapa berries would help more, but if they gave him the wrong kind it could cause harm to the boy's mind. Hiko cursed himself for not asking Officer Jenny for the boy's nature. He did seem to hate bitter berries, so he had something to work with…

The man was shaken out of his thoughts when the boy's cough worsened. Hiko winced at the small body convulsed in his arms with every harsh cough. He tried to get more Rawst berry juice into the boy, but it didn't work that time either.

He sat the boy up more to keep him from breathing in what he coughed up and put a cloth over the boy's mouth. The man looked down when he noticed Kenshin curling into his large frame for warmth and shivering. He grabbed the blanket and laid it over the small boy's frame, hoping that along with his own body heat would warm the boy enough.

"Shishou?" The boy croaked after the coughing subsided.

"Don't talk. Just rest." Hiko continued to gently rub the boy's back until he fell asleep again. He woke up again four more times that night and Hiko kept doing everything he could to help the boy's breathing.

-----orororo-----

"I just got his information transferred from Viridian City this morning. Kenshin has a Naïve nature, he likes sweet berries and not bitter. I'll start him on a regimen of Mago berries to help his cough, but keep giving him Rawst to help his fever." Nurse Joy spoke confidently that morning when Hiko inquired her about the boy's condition. When he felt sure he could do nothing else to help the boy, he left the nurse to take care of her other patients.

"Naïve, huh? No wonder he likes MooMoo Milk and ohagi so much…"

"Hiko-sama!" Kaoru exclaimed as the man entered the dining room where she was hanging out with Aiko, Hina, and Komako while eating lunch. Hina was gently licking the fur on Aiko's back while the Eevee purred in contentment. Kaoru was feeding Komako some Cheri berries, which the Ponyta seemed to really enjoy. "Ohayou!"

Hiko only smiled when Hina floated up to him and gently nuzzled his hand. It was an understatement to say the man look tired; his eyes were weighed down with dark circles and his movements were sluggish. "Good morning, Kaoru, Hina."

"And you too, Komako, Aiko." He added when said Pokémon scowled at him.

"How is Kenshin?" Kaoru asked as Hiko sat down across from her.

"He had a rough night. But he should be getting better soon." Hiko ordered some soba and Chesto berry juice when the waitress approached then went back to looking exhausted. He sipped the drink, already feeling more awake.

"Can I take Hina, Aiko, and Komako out to the beach again today? We really had a good time…"

Hiko nodded gruffly before Kaoru even stopped speaking, sipping his juice and cringing at the dry taste. Hina shot him a look for his shortness but did nothing else to aggravate the man before leading Kaoru and the other two Pokémon out.

-----N.N-----

When Hiko's soba came, he didn't feel like eating much. The noodles tasted like cardboard in his mouth and the juice definitely wasn't something he enjoyed. No, he much preferred Cheri and Figy, or his usual sake, but he needed the extra boost.

He returned to Kenshin's room with some warm miso broth that he ordered and some Mago and Rawst berry mixture along with a little surprise for Kenshin. He put the bowl and cups down and gently shook the boy awake. He hated waking the boy up so soon, but he knew the small body needed nourishment in order to recover.

"Wake up, Kenshin." When the boy groaned and started coughing again, Hiko hoisted him into a sitting position and rubbed his back just as he had that night.

"Shishou…?" Kenshin asked through his sand paper windpipe. Hiko smiled and took the Mago berry juice from the side table.

"I'm right here, Kenshin. Try to drink this." He pressed the cup to the boy's lips and tilted it back a little so the boy could swallow some of the juice. He noticed Kenshin didn't cringe as soon as the liquid hit his tongue, but instead he saw a smile forming on the boy's face.

"This will help your throat and lungs feel better, so you won't cough as much." Hiko helped him finish the drink before adjusting his hold on the boy so he was leaning on the large man's chest and Hiko had both of his hands free. He picked up the bowl of hot miso broth and started spoon-feeding the boy.

At first, Kenshin was reluctant to eat. But with a little coaxing from Hiko (the man threatening to force the soup down his throat if he didn't cooperate), he accepted the food. After a few bites, Hiko was relieved to see a little bit of color returning to the boy's pale face. By the time there was no soup left, Kenshin had relaxed visibly.

Predictably, the boy tensed up when Hiko moved to give him some more of the Rawst berry juice though it was once again mixed with MooMoo Milk. "It's all right. Drink this then you can have some MooMoo Milk, how's that?"

Kenshin relaxed and quickly consumed the Rawst berry juice. Hiko kept his promise and gave the boy the large glass of pure MooMoo Milk and let him sip it slowly from a straw as he continued to rub his back. "There, feeling better?"

Kenshin nodded slowly, still drinking his milk. Hiko smiled and supported the boy's small form as he drank. It amused the man to no end how the boy became so docile if you gave him something sweet. It wasn't too long before even the milk was finished and the boy's eyes were starting to close.

"Get some rest, Kenshin." He ran his hand through the boy's crimson hair once and lightly brushed over his forehead. Thankfully, the child's fever had gone down and he wasn't as clammy as before.

-----^.^-----

"Shishou? Shishou!" Kenshin called louder, alarmed at his master's trance-like state.

"What is it, Kenshin?" Hiko was once again sitting in the chair by Kenshin's bed.

"I was wondering…when can the Chansey come so I can start training again?" The man couldn't help but chuckle. "So anxious to get back to training, huh?"

When the boy nodded, Hiko smiled and promised to ask Nurse Joy about it that very afternoon.


End file.
